True Love
C12: Raiding the Weasleys
Standard Disclaimer: I don't own any of the recognizable characters
The morning after Boxing day Hermione and Bellatrix woke up very giddy, much to the annoyance of both Narcissa and Andromeda who went back to sleep the moment the two witches had gotten out of bed and had left the bedroom.
The two witches immediately made their way to their newly decorated War Room, wanting to start planning their raid on the Weasley's immediately now that Christmas was over, both of them hoping that for once Dora's tendency for waking up with the crack of dawn would work in their favor.
"You're giddy today love. Are you that excited about our raid tonight?" Hermione asked as they took a seat.
Bellatrix nodded and smiled at her. "Of course I am. It's been too long since I've been able to go on a raid. The last time was at the Ministry after all. I'll be the first to admit that I've got a hankering for battle, always have to be honest. That lust is very powerful and I have a feeling it's something you will find out for yourself tonight."
"I think so too, and being close to you will only amplify that. Would you have any suggestions on how to deal with that?" Hermione asked softly.
The raven-haired witch shook her head at her lover. "Unfortunately it is something you need to experience for yourself, my love. There is no preparation for what you will feel tonight and there is nothing I can say that will make sense of your feelings tonight. All I can say is that you should not let yourself be swept up in the lust for battle. It will take all three of us to bring you back and it might be too late when we get back here."
Hermione nodded at that. "I figured as much, I just wondered if there would be anything that would help me prepare. I've never been in a real battle, at least not since the Ministry."
"This will be a whole lot different than the Ministry, baby. The Ministry was mostly staged. The only one we sought to harm was the old man. As much as I hated Sirius, he was never meant to die. Tonight will different in the way that we will harm people, but we can't kill them. In the heat of battle it is difficult to maintain control over your magic and given the fact that the Weasley's have slighted you many times over, it will be amplified even more. However, I need you to try and stay in control tonight. We'll be punished severely if we kill anyone." Bellatrix said softly as she pulled the brunette into her arms.
Hermione smiled and kissed her lover softly. "As much as I hate them, I don't think could ever kill any of them. Misguided as they may be, they are being controlled just as I was at some point. Gin and the twins won't be there so we don't have to hold back as much as we normally would've, and if I know Dumbledore at least a little bit, Potter will be there too, and even though we can't hurt him too badly, it will make for good closure."
Bellatrix smiled at that. "As long as we don't hurt him too bad, it'll be fine. The Dark Lord knows that this is more about getting some revenge than actually sending a message, although I know it will send a very clear one, if only to show your allegiance."
"It's an allegiance I will gladly show. No side that cannot accept us together is a side I want anything to do with." Hermione said softly.
Bellatrix smiled and nodded as she pressed a kiss to her lovers cheek, right before Dora and Fleur walked in, the blonde carrying a cup of coffee. "Good morning aunties. I trust you slept okay?" Dora asked with her trademark grin.
Hermione groaned at that. "Dora, I know you didn't just call me auntie. We talked about this."
"Sorry 'Mione, I just couldn't resist. Did you two make a plan already or were you waiting for us?" Nymphadora said with a smile.
"We didn't actually start planning anything yet. Like your girlfriend I am still in the process of waking up." Hermione said with a soft smile.
Dora nodded and smiled at her as they took a seat around the table where a rough sketch of the Burrow was laid out. "I think only aunt Bella, Fabian and myself enjoy early mornings, at least when there is some fun to be had, and I know how much aunt Bella enjoys a good raid."
Bellatrix smiled at that. "Indeed I do, and tonight will be extra special for several reasons. Not only will we be able to get some revenge, but we'll also deal a devastating blow to the old man's most devoted followers and thus to him too. It will be a big benefit to our plans if we can make them doubt the cause the pretend to fight for."
"That will not be difficult. For all their bluster, the Weasley's are very weak in their magic. It'll be easy to break their spirit." Fleur said with a smile.
Bellatrix grinned at her. "That's the spirit, why hurt them physically when we can hurt them more mentally. I'm not saying we should start flinging Cruciatus Curses at everyone, but a few to Ron and Bill certainly wouldn't hurt anyone."
"Oh I have something far better in mind for Ronald bloody Weasley. I know all of his weak spots and no matter how much he touts himself to be a great duelist, all of us have more magic in our little fingers than he has in his entire body. Plus if we can goad him a little he'll become reckless and that will make it even easier." Hermione said with a smirk.
Bellatrix smiled at her lover. "I love it when you get that vicious look baby."
Hermione smiled and gave her lover a kiss. "Not now love, first off we're not alone and secondly we have a plan to make."
Bellatrix only pouted a little as they turned their attention to the map. "Fine, be reasonable. You and Fleur know the Burrow the best, so what would be our best plan of attack?"
Fleur and Hermione shared a look at that. "The easiest would be to apparate to the orchard at twilight. It's the most secluded that they won't see us coming immediately and we'll have the benefit of having multiple escape routes."
"Since it will only be the four of us and this is more about proclaiming allegiance I think we should send a proper message by causing some damage." Nymphadora suggested.
"We do have authorization to do some damage, so I don't see a problem with this. We do need to talk about crowd control. We want to goad them a little, but there will only be four of us against five of them, since Percy no longer wants to be associated with them, but despite them being weaker we should not underestimate them." Hermione said softly.
Bellatrix smiled at that. "It's not a question of underestimating them love, but you are right. Crowd control will be necessary. I would suggest that we go about this the smart way. We start a fire to draw them out and then pick off Arthur and Molly. That should leave us with the Ronald, William and Charlie, and possibly Potter, but I doubt he'll want to take us on without protection. We take them out as quickly as we can and lead Potter away before we make ourselves knows to him. He'll relay everything to the old man."
"That seems like a solid plan. We can use the orchard for that purpose. He's stupid enough to chase one of us through that field, although I think it would be best if that was me. I know exactly where to hit him where it hurts. You can just follow me once the rest of the family is incapacitated. He won't care about going after you. In his mind I'm the one that betrayed him." Hermione said as she marked some possibilities on the map.
Fleur, Dora and Bellatrix nodded at that. "He will, if there is anything Harry is, it is that he is predictable. If he feels slighted in any way he'll whine to Dumbledore about it and the old man is too afraid to lose control of his golden boy to deny him a sense of justice. I think though that besides an exit strategy, we have our bases covered. There is no reason we shouldn't be able to do this quickly and effectively. Now, let's talk exit strategy. We can of course not leave any doubt on who was responsible for this, but we need to watch that we won't leave our backs open to an attack while we make our exit." Bellatrix said as she studied their possible exit points.
"That's why there is four of us Aunt Bella. We'll watch each other's backs constantly. We've suffered enough at the Weasley's hands and we will not give them the opportunity to harm us more." Fleur said with clear determination.
Bellatrix smiled and nodded at the blonde. "Then I think we are set. We'll meet back here an hour after dinner wearing your robes. We're going without masks tonight. Spend the rest of the day preparing yourselves for tonight."
The two girls nodded and gave Hermione and Bellatrix a hug before they made their way out of the war room. "So love, are you happy with the plan?" Hermione asked softly once they were alone.
Bellatrix nodded at her. "Very much so. I foresee that the Weasley's will be without a home for quite a while and that we'll at least have a mental advantage going into this final stage of the war."
Hermione smiled at that. "I know we will. I just worry about Ginny and the twins. Knowing their mother it could very well happen that they'll be viewed as traitors by both sides for what we do."
"The Dark Lord has made sure that they will not be harmed or receive any backlash, my love. Plus, we have taken several precautions to make sure they'll be okay. If they so choose we even have a few properties available for them to live in." Bellatrix said with a soft smile.
Hermione smiled and cuddled into her raven-haired witch as they tried to relax a little before checking if their lovers were up already.
…
After breakfast they made their way back to the bedroom, since their lovers weren't in the den for breakfast. "It's so unlike Cissa to be so inert. Is this normal after Christmas?" Hermione asked as they walked through the halls of the Manor.
Bellatrix smiled at her. "Yes love, today is her day of relaxation before she's going to go all out again for the ball in a couple of days. Everything for that is of course prepared already, save the decorations and primping up of the Manor itself, but she allows herself one day of rest beforehand."
Hermione smiled at that as they walked into the bedroom, seeing both witches being still dead to the world. "They look so cute together, don't they?" Bellatrix asked softly as she disrobed.
Hermione nodded and smiled at her lover. "They do, and it's awfully tempting to join them again, and honestly, I think it would both do us well to relax a little before tonight."
Bellatrix nodded at her as she flicked her wand to get Hermione naked too. "Why do you think I was getting naked love. It is good practice to relax before a raid."
The brunette smiled at that as they got into bed, with Hermione cuddling close to Narcissa and Bellatrix doing the same with Andromeda. "Good morning you two. Did you get the plan in place?" Narcissa asked softly.
"Yes love, we've covered all of our bases and are ready for tonight. We're all yours for the rest of the day." Hermione said as she kissed the back of the blonde's neck.
"Good, because you two are not going anywhere until it is time for you to go." The blonde said softly as she pulled Hermione closer.
Hermione smiled and nuzzled her nose in the blonde's neck. "I thought that was implied, Cissa. You know there are few places I would rather be than in bed with you, Andi and Bella."
"We know love, and we feel exactly the same." Narcissa said softly.
Hermione just smiled and cuddled closer to the blonde, both her and Bellatrix more than content to stay in bed with their lovers for the remainder of the morning.
When Andromeda and Narcissa properly woke up a few hours later they both had to smile at how adorable Bella and Hermione looked, both still very much asleep. "It's unfair how adorable they both look when they're asleep." Andromeda said softly as not to wake them.
Narcissa nodded at her. "They do, but it is one of the many reasons we love them, and I'm sure they've said the same thing about us when they came back from their planning. Perhaps we should let them sleep for a little while longer."
"We're plenty awake love. We never went back to sleep once we came back. We did get plenty of rest though, since you two are so comfortable to lie against." Bellatrix said with a soft smile.
Andromeda smiled at that. "We know love, you've said this many a time since we were little girls. I do wonder what your plan is for the rest of the day? Because surely you're not going to spend all day in bed?"
Hermione smiled and shook her head at that. "No love, we're not going to be idle until we need to leave. We do want to spend the rest of the day with you two. It'll help us get focused for tonight, so we're more than okay with anything you two want to do." She said with a soft smile.
"Well, I need to go to Diagon Alley to pick up some supplies, and it's been a while since we spent time together. So would you like to accompany me Bella?" Narcissa asked with a smile.
Bellatrix nodded at that. "Of course Cissy. It's been too long. Will you two be okay in the meantime?"
Andromeda and Hermione nodded at them. "Of course love. For us it has also been a while since we spent some time alone together. I have a few ideas on what we can do." Andromeda said with a soft smile.
"Don't tire each other out too much love. We have important work to do tonight." Bellatrix said teasingly.
Hermione smiled at that. "We won't love. There is something Andi and I have talked about something we have wanted to try for a while now, and I think it will be the perfect distraction before we have to go tonight. We will probably do some theory-crafting while you two are out."
The two witches smiled at that as they got dressed. "That has been a while too. Anything particular you want to work on?"
"Not really. We just want to see if we can work on something useful, and perhaps start reading into some rituals too." Hermione said with a soft smile as she and Andromeda got out of bed too.
Narcissa and Bellatrix nodded at that. "That's a great idea love. We'll come and look for you in the library when we get back." Bellatrix said sweetly.
"Be careful you two. I wouldn't put it past the Order to watch the Alley very closely now." Andromeda said with a soft smile.
"We will love, the stores we need to go to are a bit off the beaten path. They'll be watching most of Knockturn and the stores they expect us to go. They'll never expect us to pay a visit to the Weasley twins." Bellatrix said softly.
Hermione smiled at that. "Would you give them my love, and Ginny too if she's there. I worry about them."
"If there is a way we can discreetly do that, we'll of course convey that, baby." Bellatrix said with a soft smile.
Hermione smiled and kissed them both softly before the two witches apparated away. "So, the library then?"
Andromeda smiled and nodded as she kissed the brunette softly. "Yes, let's go to the library. We'll ask Jupi if he can bring us some snacks. I think we'll need that if we want to do proper research."
Hermione nodded and followed the middle sister to the library so they could do some necessary research.
…
As the sun set Bellatrix and Hermione together with Fleur and Nymphadora were gathered in the back yard, dressed in their Death Eater robes but without masks while surrounded by the rest of the family. "I know you have everything planned out, but please be careful tonight. This is just to get some revenge on those that have wronged us. There is no need to let yourselves get hurt over this." Narcissa said softly.
"We won't Cissy. We won't be gone long after all. I don't expect it to last past the hour." Bellatrix said with a sweet smile.
Fabian and Luna smiled at her. "Give them a few for us too mother." Luna said softly.
Bellatrix nodded at them. "Of course sweetie. They will know what is truly means to have our family as an enemy."
Luna smiled at her mother from her spot in Fabian's arms as the four apparated away to the Burrow because it was time for them to put their plan into motion.
As they appeared in the orchards that surrounded the Burrow, the first thing they did was to disguise their presence so they could keep the element of surprise on their side for at least a little while longer.
They had all agreed on mostly using hand signals to communicate today since that would both keep things quiet and thus make them harder to identify and also would make them keep the element of surprise for most of the night.
Since Bellatrix was the senior Death Eater, she would be in charge for this raid, which was something she gladly did. She motioned for Fleur and Hermione to make their way to the backside of the house while she and Dora would keep an eye on the front of the house, so that they would have every exit covered.
They moved through the shadows as much as they possibly could before they would come into hearing range of the rickety structure.
She then motioned for Dora to stay where she was so she could gather the attention of the family, which would also serve as the signal for Hermione and Fleur to destroy the back entrance so the family only had one way out.
Bellatrix grinned broadly before throwing a Bombarda into one of the kitchen windows, which exploded in a shower of glass and wood, and only seconds later there was a second, heavier explosion from the back followed by six individuals running out of the house.
Dora smirked at the shocked looks of recognition on their faces as she cast a Fiendfyre, surrounding the family quickly and almost dangerously close.
Not a moment later Hermione and Fleur rounded the corner, both of them having their wands at the ready.
As expected the Weasley's didn't ask any questions, but started throwing spells at the four Death Eaters immediately which is what they had expected them to do and since they were here for a specific goal they returned each spell with equal if not more force, with the exception of Dora who kept control of her Fiendfyre so it slowly crept towards the house.
It didn't take long for Hermione to take out Ron and Molly, leaving them both stunned and bound on the ground, and it also didn't take long for Fleur to have done the same to Bill and Charlie, leaving the former a bit more injured than the latter.
Bellatrix also had little issues with taking down Arthur which only left Harry against them, and Hermione had to suppress a smirk at the lost and scared look on his face. "What's wrong Potter? Scared now that you're all alone with no one to fight your battles for you?" Bellatrix asked with her patented cackle.
Harry glared at her as he seemed to look for a way through the flames so he could get to them. "Don't bother little boy. Unlike your precious order, we know what we are doing." Bellatrix said with a sneer as they backed away, with Dora creating a small trail in the flames so he could get through while they retreated further into the orchards.
Of course he didn't hesitate as he ran after them, and Hermione just couldn't resist putting down a few tripping traps just so he wouldn't get away completely unscathed tonight.
Bellatrix couldn't help but smile as they came to a stop far in the orchards so that even if the Weasley's could get out of the bindings they had left them in, it would take a while for them to come to Potter's rescue.
They had already established beforehand that Hermione would be the one to confront him so there could be no more doubt in where her allegiances lay and thus when they reached the agreed upon point, Hermione turned back to where she knew Harry would show up. "Don't forget love, we're not to hurt him too badly." Bellatrix said softly.
Hermione smiled at her. "Don't worry, I'm not going to do worse to him than I have done throughout my school years with him, perhaps with an added Body Bind."
Bellatrix nodded as she, Fleur and Dora waited patiently for Potter to arrive, ready to back up Hermione if needed.
When Harry finally ran into the clearing he almost stumbled as he saw Hermione stand next to the Death Eaters, all except one he thought were still allied to Dumbledore. "Hermione! What happened to you? Why are you doing this?"
Hermione smirked at him. "Isn't it obvious Harry. My eyes are finally open and if you only had somewhat of a working brain you would see it too. I will give you one chance and one chance only to truly listen to me for the first time. You are being lied to by the old man, and it is going to get you killed."
"You're lying. Why would I believe you after what you have done to the Weasley's and after not hearing from you for months? You stand with them now as if they are your best friends." Harry said irritably.
Hermione glared at him. "They showed me the truth you daft bastard. Did you even fight Dumbledore on whatever it was he said about me, or did you just move on and forget about me?"
"Dumbledore said that there was no way you could be alive, because you are a Muggleborn. He told everyone that your sacrifice would be honored after the War but that now was not the time for mourning." Harry said as he glared back at her.
Hermione laughed at that, sounding a lot like Bellatrix. "Of course he did. You can tell him that I'm alive and well, but that I will never come back to the so called Light. But I'm afraid that I don't have time to talk to you anymore. I have better things to do with my life." The brunette said as she cast a full Body Bind on her former best friend.
His eyes widened as he tried to deflect it, but Hermione had made sure to put more power behind it, courtesy of her bond with her lovers and thus he was bound, and could only watch as the Dark Mark was cast and the four apparated away.
…
As they re-appeared in the garden Bellatrix could't help but laugh loudly. "I'm proud of you love, you did amazing tonight." She said as she gathered the brunette in her arms.
"Thanks love, it was surprisingly satisfying to see that shack burn down and get some things of my chest that had been festering for a while." Hermione said with a soft smile.
Bellatrix smiled at her lover as she turned to her niece and her girlfriend. "You two also did very well. I'm so proud of you all for doing what is right. Shall we go and inform the Dark Lord and the rest of our family of our success?"
The three witches nodded and smiled at her. "Yes, I think he would like to hear that the Burrow burned to the ground and that Potter and the Weasley's were thoroughly chastised and humiliated." Dora said with her trademark grin.
Bellatrix smiled at that as they made their way into the house making a beeline to the war room where she knew the Dark Lord was waiting. It was common after a raid for him to await the return of his Death Eaters. She also expected that at least her sisters would be there, and probably the rest of the family too since she knew they were all curious about how it had gone.
The rest of the mansion was silent, which given that it wasn't that late was a bit odd, so that only solidified her beliefs that the entire family would be waiting for them in the war room.
As they stepped into the war room the entire family was indeed waiting for them. "Welcome back. I trust everything went well and the Burrow is no longer standing?" The Dark Lord asked as they took their places.
Bellatrix smiled and nodded. "Yes, my lord. We let the Fiendfyre rage within its parameters. We made sure no one was hurt more than was instructed to."
The Dark Lord smirked at that. "Good, I'm proud of all four of you and I think we have dealt a severe mental blow to the Order today, one I know will haunt them until it is time to end this conflict once and for all. For now we shall lay low until it is time for the final battle. We will reconvene a last time at Easter to finalize our plans. As you have not been named yet, for now it is safe to go out, but I ask to move around with caution."
They all nodded and bowed as Voldemort apparated away, after which Narcissa and Andromeda wrapped their lovers into a hug while the others silently left the room to give the four a little privacy.
"We're so glad you two are okay. We were so very worried that something might have gone wrong." Narcissa said as she buried her nose in Bella's neck.
Bellatrix smiled and pressed a soft kiss to her lover's cheek. "We're okay love, none of their spells were particularly powerful and it didn't take us long to break through their defenses, although I will be honest and say that we could have dealt with them sooner. Dora burned their house to the ground and Hermione gave Potter some things to mull over before she bound him and then left him alone in the field."
Narcissa sighed softly as they took a seat in one of the nearby sofas. "I should have known you two would try and toy with them at least a little. You two are far too similar these days not to do that. We're just glad that you both are okay."
Bellatrix and Hermione both smiled at her. "I think that was because our magic fed on each other, even though we made sure to start off at opposite sides of the Burrow so that wouldn't happen, but I think the bond we share is more powerful than we know. I think we need to do some more research on that soon." Hermione said with a loving smile to her two lovers as she was pulled in Andromeda's lap.
"We will, in a couple of days. Tomorrow we will do what we have always done after you've done a raid and relax together. You both need to come down from the magic in the air, because we can feel you're both very hyped up on adrenaline. So what we're going to do now is take a long bath together so you two can calm down a little and we can reassure ourselves that you two are fine." Narcissa said adamantly, clearly very serious about this happening.
Bellatrix smiled at her. "Of course Cissy. We figured you two would be worried about us. We'll gladly do whatever you want us to do."
Narcissa smiled as she and Andromeda apparated the two witches to the bathroom, taking their time in undressing their lovers as the bath filled up and the room filled with the scent of lavender and vanilla.
Seeing no marks or bruises on either of them, Narcissa and Andromeda both couldn't contain a sigh of relief. "I know you both think we worry too much, but things are very different now than they were the first time all of this happened. We didn't know how our bond would influence things out there and judging by the adrenaline I feel still surging through both of you, I have a feeling that it influenced things a lot."
"You two have every right to worry Cissa. We know that tonight could have gone very differently if we had at any point underestimated what the Weasley's would do. It is the sole reason we went for a surprise assault on both the front and a sure fire way to make sure they could only come out the front." Hermione said as she lovingly stroked the blonde's cheek.
Narcissa smiled and pressed a kiss to her knuckles. "Thank you for reassuring me love. I still meant what I said earlier. Tomorrow we're not going to do anything unless something serious comes up. It is something we've done ever since Bella's first raid. The day after was for us."
Hermione smiled and gave the blonde a proper kiss before they took up a spot in the tub, staying close together the entire time, something Bellatrix and Hermione didn't have any issues with. They had felt the worry of both of their lovers as keenly as their own after all.