Enjoy!

Voldemort left them in a tempest of smoke and a vociferous crack. Hermione flinched at the sound. Bellatrix helped to ease the young woman onto her unsteady feet and quietly asked if she was doing alright. Hermione could only muster a frail nod.

"You make it look so easy…" Came a gruff voice and Hermione's anger ignited like dynamite at the sound. Fenrir Greyback. Instinctively Bellatrix' arms gripped her tighter as she felt Hermione tense and struggle against her hold.

"Let me go Bella!" Hermione snarled. "He's so close. So goddamn close. He's the reason Fleur suffers! I want to kill him!" Her arms flailed, fingers outstretched gripping at the stale air of the barn.

Bellatrix' lips neared the brunette's ears and she whispered harshly. "Stop it foolish child!" Hermione's lithe body writhed against Bellatrix' grip only earning her an even tighter hold from the Death Eater. "He disgusts me too, the vile creature…you'll get your chance for revenge soon enough. I promise. Now is not the time…Fleur needs you and you need her. Come now; let us go back to the Manor...you have endured enough for one night..."

Unfortunately the words fell upon deaf ears. With a sudden surge of adrenaline Hermione fought against Bellatrix' tensed forearms, the veins of her neck pulsating with anger. Crucio!

Fenrir's massive frame crumpled to the ground with a guttural shout as the torture curse struck him without warning. Bellatrix' swatted harshly at Hermione's head with her hand but it did nothing to sever the young woman's intense concentration on torturing Greyback. He struggled to stand, wincing and snarling like an enraged animal throughout. His jaundiced eyes focused upon Hermione and saliva dribbled out from between his razor sharp teeth. "You little bitch…" He growled and he stalked near the two women. Hermione continued to hit him with the cruciatus curse, but her attempts were now much weaker than the first. Her joints ached and the muscles of her chest cramped painfully. Rivulets of blood began to trickle out from her nostrils, and the intense pressure in her skull mounted by the second. River deltas of capillaries burst, marring the whites of her eyes.

Once close enough, Fenrir snagged at the collar of Hermione's shirt, wrenching the girl free from the protection of Bellatrix' arms. He grabbed a clump of her hair and forced her neck back so that her face looked directly into his. He licked his lips. "Oh the things I'd like to do to you right now little bitch..."

"Keep away from her you filthy mongrel!" Shrieked Bellatrix, her crooked wand now aimed at his bulbous forehead.

Hermione felt faint, her heart beating weakly in her chest, and her eyelids grew heavy; she was scarcely aware of the monstrosity of a man nearly ripping a chunk of her scalp from out of her head. Hermione went slack in his arms. Fenrir grinned wickedly. "I'm not going to kill her Bellatrix, I'm just gonna teach the little slut a lesson in manners...". His tongue darted out, wetting his teeth.

A bolt from Bellatrix' wand threw the hulking man back onto the ground with a sickening whip of his neck. At once Bellatrix gathered the brunette into her arms, and Bellatrix struggled to keep the girl upright as she slung lifeless like a forgotten marionette puppet.

"Bellatrix…what gives?" Fenrir yelled. "Just a bite." On his feet once more, he stalked nearer to the nearly unconscious girl. Bellatrix struck again only this time she chose to throw a small silver knife, slicing a sizable hole in the shoulder of Greyback's muddy trench coat. Blood began to seep into the moth eaten fabric. The knife's journey ended when it wedged itself firmly in the fibers of the rotten wood in the barn's walls.

"Touch her again Fenrir, and I will flay you alive!" Bellatrix snapped. With a flick of her mangled wand the knife flew back toward her hand, nicking Greyback's ear as it traveled. She deftly caught it by the hilt. "Consider that a warning!" she spat pointing a finger. Hermione broke free and stumbled forth from her grip. She looked through the forest of her bushy curls, directly into the yellow eyes of the werewolf.

"You bitch!" Fenrir pawed his at his bleeding ear, before turning to face Hermione, teeth bared like a rabid dog. "Saw your little blonde before. Fancy collar she's got on there. Though I'd like to see her in only that collar…" His eyes trailed up and down Hermione's body before he spoke again. "Maybe throw you in there too for good measure."

"Fuck you." Hermione hissed and quickly snagged the knife from Bellatrix' hands and threw it full force at the man, effectively stabbing him in the lower stomach. It wasn't a kill, but close enough for Hermione's tastes. Fenrir reared back on impact, and blood poured like a faucet from the wound.

Charging full force at the two women, Fenrir held out his massive arms, his clawed hands open wide. Hermione coolly walked in front of Bellatrix, wearing a calm expression on her face. Time slowed to a crawl as Fenrir barreled toward them at full speed, every muscle bulging, each striation a road map of veins. His face was unlike that of a Tiger mid-bite. Hermione merely thought of the word; the sound of it barely a whisper in her mind amid the roar coming from the windpipe of the enormous man.

…sectumsempra…

Instantly he dropped like a boulder onto the ground, as wounds of various shapes and sizes suddenly bloomed all over his body. Frantically his hands blindly groped at the myriad of gashes as if he were trying to plug a series of leaks. A sizable puddle of blood formed around his feet. Soon he lay spread eagle on the blood soaked floor, out cold from significant blood loss. All of who remained in the dark barn nary moved an inch. The girl that stood before them did not move, and they would not dare come any closer to her. Bellatrix strode over to Fenrir's body and callously kicked it over onto its back, and pulled out the embedded knife with one strong pull of her arm. Blood flew out from its tip, and she pointed it at each of the hooded figures. "Leave the girl alone." She snarled loudly, her voice echoing. "I mean it!"

Bella returned to Hermione, who still appeared completely winded, and took hold of the girl's arm. With that, they side-apparated back into Bella's own chambers in the manor.

Upon their abrupt arrival Hermione's stomach twisted painfully into a knot, and her nausea was unrelenting. Bellatrix released her. Clutching her gut, Hermione stumbled across the floor for a few feet before falling to the ground in a fetal position. Bellatrix came to rest on her knees beside the shivering girl; gathering her once more into a hug.

"I feel as though I'm in over my head Bella." Hermione's vocal cords were ragged. "I'm so scared…so confused…" Her trembling only grew worse and Bellatrix struggled to hold the younger witch upright. "I nearly killed a man tonight." She wiped the blood from her nose with her sleeve.

"Hush…Don't worry your pretty head over this now. Christmas is coming."

Hermione couldn't believe what she was hearing and looked at Bellatrix with shock. "Christmas! Bella honestly, it would be awfully daft of me to be excited for something as comparatively frivolous as Christmas at a time like this!" Hermione said with a huff. Bellatrix could only smile as the stubborn Hermione had decided to return to the surface with vengeance.

"It will be the first Christmas with your love. Is that not worth something my dear?"

"But the Death Eaters and the raids. No doubt the Dark Lord will have me kill…Harry…the moment I return to Hogwarts." Hermione choked on her words, the very thought of murder still a foreign concept to her.

"No. I find that very doubtful." Said Bellatrix, resting her chin on the top of Hermione's head. "Besides, you cannot kill Harry…at least not by magical means. That is a task left only for Lord Voldemort himself. We have our task set before us. Nor do I, or the Dark Lord for that matter, believe that you are even ready to kill. Because you have so much rage within you, the cruciatus curse has come very naturally. You want to make people hurt. The killing curse is a entirely different matter. Your heart must be completely twisted, and not an ounce of remorse can you feel for your target. You have not fallen that far. Those with a lust for blood and death can cast it with no thought."

"Someone like you?"

The words visibly stung Bellatrix. "Erm…right…someone like me. Both your head and your heart have to want it. Foolish girl, my heart is as black as my namesake. My rage and anger have been brewing for decades. You, my dear, are one of the lucky ones...you are one of few that are precious to me. I have a complete disregard for the sanctity of life. If anyone dares to cross my path, I shall cut them down where they stand. I consider you my own, and anyone that decides to meddle with you, will beg for death when they answer to me."

Bellatrix rested her hands upon Hermione's shoulders holding her at arm's length. Her expression was deathly serious. Hermione on the other hand was beaming on the inside. She had a family…somewhat.

The dark witch continued. "You have experienced a lot of pain recently, yes? I can see that whenever someone hurts Fleur, it triggers such turbulent emotions inside of you. You would fall upon your own sword before you allow any harm to come to her. My dear child, this possessiveness you feel, this need to persistently protect Fleur, could very well bring about your own downfall one day."

Hermione wriggled out from Bellatrix' arms and gaped at the older witch. "That's unfair!" She pushed her away with a hard shove. "You can't fault me on that! Fleur is all I have!" She spat.

Bellatrix frowned. "You have me as well."

Hermione swallowed hard. "That I do…"

"I only say this to you, for you are following a path that I am all too familiar with. Slowly you are becoming the monsterthat I am." Bellatrix stood to full height and snarled through her clenched teeth. "No one knows or cares that I didn't always share the pureblood fanaticism with my blasted father. Myfather…who, on the daily, would beat me and my sisters. We three were but an obligation to him. The fact that his miserable seed failed to produce him a male heir constantly plagued him. Each time he looked upon myself, Narcissa or Andromeda he was disgusted. He didn't want the Black line to end with him, nor did he wish for his daughters to denigrate the precious Black blood that flows within us. That is why Andy was cast out…" Bella buried her face in her open palms and began to pace. "And the muggles…a blight…spreading like a plague. Infecting the festering wound that is this country." The words were like acid on the dark witch's tongue.

Hermione became nervous, as the very ground Bellatrix walked upon started to burn, flames lapping at the tattered fabric of her dress. "Bella…I never meant to dredge up bad memories."

"Already I have said too much. We have much to do, but for now you should go see Fleur."

Hermione was unsure of what to say, for she feared what else Bellatrix might do if more anger was brought to her. "Will you come with me at least? I…I want to introduce you to her. You're the closest thing I have to a family." The request was timid.

As Hermione spoke the word family, Bellatrix stopped her pacing and gave a slight grin. "Surely she is with Cissy still."

Narcissa and Fleur sat in the study, chatting quietly amongst themselves as Bellatrix and Hermione entered. At the sight of the brunette, Fleur sprung to her feet and rushed toward the girl, capturing her lips in a chaste kiss. "Are you 'urt mon ange?" They kissed once more with fervor. "I love you 'Ermione!"

Hermione shook her head and her shoulders slackened. The hug she was now enveloped in was the only support her body had keeping her upright. Her knees shook and her ankles ached. Looking at Fleur through bloodshot eyes, she swallowed the sobs that wanted to come forth. Sensing the girl's weakness, Fleur held her tighter and caressed the skin of Hermione's arms, still cold and slick with cold rainwater. Fleur lightly rocked Hermione side to side, whispering words of love into her tousled hair. Hermione's eyes rolled back into her head at the sound, for it was the most beautiful sound she had heard all day. "It has been quite the evening love..." Hermione admitted. "To say the least…"

"They are still here aren't they Bella." Narcissa said in a monotone voice from her seat. Bellatrix nodded.

"Yes."

Hermione wrapped her fingers around Fleur's wrist and guided the French witch toward Bellatrix. "Now that we have a moments peace, Fleur I'd like you to meet Bellatrix Lestrange, my godmother. Bella, this is my girlfriend, Fleur Delacour."

Bellatrix smiled warmly and extended a hand. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you properly."

Fleur recoiled slightly, unsure of how to act around the dark witch. "Forgive me 'eef I am acting out of line Mademoiselle Lestrange but I 'ave never been 'een 'zee presence of a Death Eater before. 'Eet 'ees a bit...scary."

"My reputation precedes me it seems." Bellatrix laughed. "Fret not my dear, it's quite alright. I have done quite a few things that would make such a response appropriate Miss Delacour. I only wished to meet my daugh—goddaughter's beloved."

Hermione lifted an eyebrow at the stumbled words. "Thinking of me as your own Bella?"

Bellatrix gave a nervous laugh. "Perhaps…" She took Fleur's hand in her own and gave it a gentle shake. "So you are the one that has captured Hermione's heart." Fleur blushed and nodded, returning to Hermione's embrace once the dark witch released her hands. "I'd love a moment to speak with you alone…if that is alright with you Hermione."

"Of course. Fleur?" The two women walked side by side out across the hallway to an adjacent room. Hermione approached Narcissa, who was absently leafing through a book while sitting on a couch. Hermione lowered herself onto the free cushion to Narcissa's left and immediately stretched her arms high above her head. The plush cushions felt luxurious underneath her aching limbs.

"I should thank you Miss Gaunt." Narcissa began, her eyes not once looking up from her page. "Since you have seemingly risen from the dead, I feel as though I've been getting my sister back."

"You're…you're welcome?"

"It goes without saying that Bellatrix has lived a chaotic life. As my oldest sister, she bore the brunt of my father's rage, throwing herself in front of his fists before he could strike either myself or…Andromeda." Narcissa turned to face Hermione, her expression grave. "Cygnus broke Bellatrix. As the Dark Lord rose to power, our father watched him with great interest...but we could not be bothered, my sisters and I. Yes we exuded the haughty air that was expected of women of wealth like us, but we cared little for the lofty goals of Lord Voldemort. Bella was sucked in to the madness after she was betrothed against her will, to that pig Rodolphus. A pathetic attempt by our father to continue a pureblood line, even if it weren't his own."

"Bella was married off? When did she become a Death Eater?"

"Patience girl. You need to understand how important you are to my sister. How important your mother was to her."

"Regulus' journal mentions how Bella would look at my mother…I…I have my suspicions…though I've never had the chance to ask Bella herself about it. I actually haven't asked her anything about Helen."

"Bellatrix Black was…and still is…in love with your mother...the death of your mother set into motion the downward spiral of Bella's sanity. She developed an insatiable thirst for blood and revenge over her death. Bella was so utterly blinded by hatred and anger…to the point where she had all but forgotten Helen completely. She tortured people, killed our cousin. All of it with no thought but to quash the burgeoning muggle menace and, of course, to please the Dark Lord. It was her only purpose in life…and then she found…you."

Hermione's eyes went wide. "Did Helen love her too?"

"Oh yes. It is even likely that Helen fell for Bella first. She lived with us for a few years, though Bellatrix had already moved in with Rodolphus by the time she had gotten there."

"Regulus wrote that she had been…adopted by your father."

Narcissa nodded. "Yes, in an atypical act of humanity Cygnus allowed her to move in with us, and attend Hogwarts. She was only there for her final two years, as her ogre of a father Morfin forbade her from attending the school. It was rather impressive how advanced she was, and Professor Dumbledore was more than willing to allow her to delve right into 6th year, and naturally she was sorted into Slytherin."

Hermione unconsciously leaned forward, her intellectual curiosity in high gear; this was the most she'd heard about Helen at all since discovering her new identity. "But if Helen was in school…how did she and Bella fall in love? They must've been at least 5 years apart in age!"

"Of the exact moment I am unsure. We saw Bella at our home on occasion, and by the middle of 7th year Aunt Walburga and Uncle Orion were convincing our father that Helen was a perfect match for cousin Regulus…and she was the last hope of the Black family to find a male heir. And poor Helen was dragged into the pureblood extremism we were so used to at that point. Andromeda was disowned. Sirius too. I myself had begun to fall in love with Lucius. That left the fate of the Black family with her and Regulus."

"So what happened! Please don't leave me hanging Narcissa!"

At that moment, Bellatrix and Fleur emerged both laughing lightly, the noise bringing a small grin to Hermione's face. Narcissa spoke in a rapid whisper as her sister slowly made her approach. "Hermione I grow weary of family memories. Perhaps at another time, but know this, you are changing my sister. No doubt that you see she behaves differently. My sister used to kiss the very ground the Dark Lord walked across, now she stands upon her own two feet. She is returning to her old self…and I have you to thank for that."

The four women sat in the study for a while, exchanging stories and jokes. Fleur sat on Hermione's lap, Bella and Narcissa shared the couch. House elves brought up a carafe of chilled wine and four glasses, filling each with the crisp chardonnay.

Bellatrix held a glass aloft with a smile. "To family…"

The dank acrid smell burned the delicate hairs of her nose. A mucous like film coated her pupils as she struggled to focus on the blurred form in front of her. Mouth dry and aching as if it had been at some point stuffed full with cotton she brought a hand to her cracked lips and ran her fingers across the bruised skin. Idly she felt for something to hold on to, something to brace herself on to raise up onto her unsteady legs. All her fingertips felt was the corpselike cold of rotted cinderblock, damp with the humid air. Once on her feet she rubbed the grime from her eyelids; her pupils nearly regaining their sight. She gasped at what was before her. A cell. Behind the rusting iron bars a figure sat crumpled against the far wall, arms shackled high above their head. The person's neck hung limp, the muscles barely strong enough to hold up the head. Their wrists were bent at a sickening angle, the delicate bones having been fractured under the pressure of supporting their weight for so long. The prisoner was dressed in tattered rags, and appeared emaciated; with skin like paper draped over their skeleton. She approached the bars, wrapping her fingers around the flaking metal. Straining to focus, her breath caught in her lungs as the meager moonlight from the lone window reflected in a veil of golden blonde hair. "Fleur!" the name exploded forth in a scream. The limp figure looked up at the sound and Fleur's eyes grew wide.

"'Ermione?". Her voice was weak, defeated.

Hermione clawed at the bars of the cell, hoping perhaps she could rip them straight out of the wall. Try as she might, the barrier separating them remained. Fleur began to struggle against her chains. "'Elp me...don't let 'zem touch me again...". Her voice sounded wet, thick with fluid from frothing up from her lungs, ravages of infection having gripped her.

"Who did this!". Hermione screamed, cutting open her knuckle with a frustrated punch at the bars.

Fleur shushed her. "Not so loud mon ange! 'Zey will 'ear you!"

"What's going on down here?" Came a gruff voice from down the corridor. Hermione blanched but did not relent on trying to yank open the cell. Two hooded figures suddenly appeared, their wands drawn. One took a single step toward Hermione and with blinding speed knocked her back with a stunning spell. Once she lay sprawled on the cold stone floor the two hooded figures turned to face one another before breaking into a maniacal laughter. "He was right. Bringing the Veela here was a sure fire lure to bring her here." A woman's voice.

"He will be most pleased. With her abilities we'll be guaranteed victory now."

"What if she doesn't cooperate?" The female asked.

The male turned to face Hermione. "We do THIS!". He whipped around and aimed his wand at Fleur. "CRUCIO!". The blonde was struck by the crimson bold dead in the chest and the bloodcurdling scream that erupted from her already ravaged throat caused Hermione physical pain. She watched helplessly as Fleur thrashed against her bondage, her skeletal body nearly snapping under her own weight. The two hooded people laughed loudly before the curse stopped. Fleur slumped over, out cold with her forehead touching the cell floor.

"We must summon him!". The female voice shrieked.

"Allow me sister. For I am his most loyal follower and it is only fair that I present him with his greatest betrayer.". Hermione wanted to scream when her captor's hood whipped back to reveal the face of Ron Weasley. He held his wand aloft and shouted "EXPECTO PATRONUM!"

Hermione whipped up like a catapult, her breathing nearly putting her into convulsions. Curled up amongst silken sheets, Fleur clung tightly to Hermione's lissom frame, sound asleep, her blonde hair fanned like a halo around her head. Sweat began to bead on the brunette's forehead as a tsunami of relief washed over her. "Just a dream...just a dream..."

A/N: I feel very lucky to have the opportunity to share this tale with you, and I also feel blessed whenever any one takes the time to leave a review. Now, it is my own personal policy to never ask/beg for reviews, as it is not a requirement involved with reading this fic…or any fic for that matter. Nor do I intend to start asking for them now. That said, anytime anyone does believe this fic warrants a comment, no matter how good or bad you think my work actually is, I just want you to know that I deeply appreciate that you took the time to leave it.

So in a long-winded way, I just want to say thanks to all of you. Even to those who don't leave reviews, thank you for giving up a piece of your day and allowing me to share this little slice of my imagination with you. I know this fic is getting quite long and if you're reading this, it means you've been sticking with me throughout this whole crazy adventure.

In summation, all of you guys rock, and certainly never fail to put a smile on my face. :)

-mox