This turned into a very long chapter but I didn't want to cut it in half! So enjoy because the plot is about to change!
Hermione stared into her cup of herbal tea. The mug was warm and she clutched it tightly between her fingers. Slowly the warmth crept through her body. She had not touched the biscuits that stood on a small plate on the table. Her tears had dried but the bright red marks on her cheeks had not quite faded. She didn't want to look up to Professor McGonagall, who was sitting beside her on the sofa though she could feel her teacher's eyes rest on her. Bellatrix had only left an hour ago and already it felt as if a piece of her had been cruelly taken away.
"Feeling any better?" McGonagall asked. She had finished her tea but had observed Hermione had not drunk hers. The young witch seemed deeply lost in thought and for a moment McGonagall hesitated in disturbing her. She suspected whatever place Hermione was hiding in made her feel more comfortable than her present whereabouts. "Miss Granger?"
Hermione snapped back into reality and looked up at the sound of her teacher's voice. She had been thinking about Bellatrix and imagined her sitting on the train, gazing out of the window. She wondered if Bellatrix was thinking of her too. "Sorry Professor" She put down her mug and folded her hands in her lap. "I err... I was just thinking..."
"About Miss Black by any chance?" McGonagall questioned, a little smile lingering around her lips. Though worry reflected in her eyes when she saw how Hermione's eyes lit up. "I could not help but notice that you two have become quite close in the last few weeks"
Hermione could feel herself blush and averted her eyes. Her cheeks turned an intense shade of crimson. She would never have thought about talking about something like this with a teacher. She knew full well what she was doing was full of risks. She had endangered everything and she doubted McGonagall knew really how much. "We are friends, Professor"
"More than friends the way I see it, Miss Granger" said Professor McGonagall. Hermione's eyes snapped up. They found the green of her teacher and she sighed. There was no use in lying. She knew McGonagall knew. She sighed and admitted her defeat. "Surely I do not need to remind you of the dangers of such activities, Hermione"
"Believe me, I am very much aware of them" answered Hermione and shook her head. The inner battle had driven her almost insane. Every day she felt it. Every day she felt the strength of her feelings for Bellatrix and her loyalty to what awaited her back home. Sometimes she would look at Bellatrix and remember how she watched her die. "You have no idea how this makes me feel. I feel like I should be happy. No one has ever made me feel the way Bella does. But at the same time I feel sad and devastated because I know none of this is really real. She is a part of the past. Almost a figment of one's imagination. I shouldn't look at her like she is seventeen. I should see her as what she is to become. A monster"
Curious, McGonagall cocked her head. She was aware of Bellatrix's fascination with the Dark Arts. She knew the Blacks were one of the darkest families out there. With an obscure family history and drastic measures to keep the family tree pure. "A monster? But Miss Granger, why would you describe her as such?"
Hermione shook her head. "Because I know what she will become. I will endanger the timeline by telling you, Professor" She averted her eyes, feeling the inner turmoil all over again. She couldn't even speak the truth about what Bellatrix would become. Speaking it out would mean it was real. It would spoil the image she had now. It would devastate her. "So much will happen in the future. So much is going to change... It hurts to walk here today and see so many faces of those who have suffered or died"
"The future holds some dark times" McGonagall concluded from Hermione's words and the young witch nodded. Tears began to seep through her eyelashes and she started sobbing. Her shoulders shook and she tried to brush the tears away. She had not cried like this since she arrived in this timeline. But so much had happened. Her mind seemed to constantly be in an utter state of confusion. She shivered when she felt McGonagall's hand on her shoulder but eventually she allowed herself to be hugged by her teacher.
McGonagall held a shaking Hermione and safely locked her in her arms. She brushed her fingers through Hermione's curls as the girl rested against her shoulder. Hearing and seeing the girl cry almost broke her heart. She had never coped well with seeing her students cry. Her mind was adding the pieces together of what she read between the lines. "Hermione, how much of what will happen is due to the rise of that Dark Lord?"
Hermione sat up and brushed a few stray tears from her cheeks. Her eyes were red rimmed and swollen. She took a few deep breaths. "Everything" she hic coughed. She took a few seconds to collect herself. Her breath evened and her hazel eyes met the green ones of her teacher. "I just wish... I just wish I could tell you everything and change it. But I can't. And I wish I could. I keep thinking every day that there is so much I can undo. People don't have to die. The Dark Lord... can be stopped. I... I can change everything"
"I do not envy the position in which you have found yourself, Hermione" McGonagall spoke with a surprisingly soft voice, causing Hermione to look up "I cannot imagine the turmoil you must feel inside. Not to mention finding yourself experiencing loving feelings for someone in this timeline...I do not know how I would cope with knowing I can change the future, prevent bad things from happening without ever being able to tell"
Hermione averted her eyes and sighed. "I don't know how I am coping, Professor. I mean... my actions will affect the timeline regardless. The Black sisters will have some form of memory of me, though I am unsure in what way. It is impossible for the timeline not to have been changed. Who knows, Bella might not even end up doing what she did..." It was a hopeful statement. If Bellatrix refrained from being a Death Eater, they could perhaps meet again when she returned home. It was a farfetched theory, but it gave her the hope she needed.
"Perhaps it is best for us to continue this conversation at a different time, Miss Granger" said McGonagall and she leant back slightly, her eyes still resting on Hermione "I trust today has been emotional enough for you. I will however advice you to write in your diary and express some of your concerns. Though I can understand if you do not include your relationship with Miss Black"
Hermione nodded and stood up. She walked to the door and just as she was about to step out of McGonagall's office she turned around. "You are not only my teacher in my timeline, Professor. You are also my friend. And I am grateful for that. You are an inspiration. In both timelines" With those words Hermione left McGonagall to her own ponderings and started her walk through the now almost empty castle, back to the Slytherin common room.
She used to love Christmas but now, as she stared out over the snow covered ground, it was the loneliest time of year. Almost all the students had gone home to spend time with their families and loved ones. Hermione held still by one of the many windows and just stared outside. She had never felt emptier in her life. Not even during some of the long nights when she travelled with Harry and Ron. When it felt like the war would never end. Back then it had felt as if she was complete. Now it felt like something had been taken away. Silent tears trickled down her cheeks as she started walking again, absentmindedly making her way back to the common room.
Walking into the dungeon like Slytherin common room was only another reminder of her emptiness. The greenish glow in the room seemed far less inviting than ever before. The fire burned in the fireplace and Hermione dragged one of the carved armchairs towards it. She cuddled herself up and pulled a blanket over her. She couldn't face looking around the room. Her mind kept picturing Bellatrix sitting on one of the leather sofas, doing her homework. She was convinced she could hear her laughter in the back of her mind, following her like a haunting echo. Her eyes fluttered shut and she gave in to the awful hollow feeling in her chest.
She ignored McGonagall's suggestion and never went to collect her diary. Outside the snow started falling again, thickening the white blanket of glistening white crystals. As the hours past, the fire in the fireplace died out and the sun began to set behind the horizon – leaving the world as dark and hollow as she felt inside.
Christmas Day had never before been such a nightmare. Hermione woke up in an empty dormitory, in an empty bed. It was quiet without the usual sound of her roommates' snoring and breathing. The floor was cold under her feet when she slipped out of bed. A small package was lying at the edge of her bed. She recognized Bellatrix's handwriting immediately on the small piece of parchment and with trembling fingers she opened it. She found a small black box and when she clicked it open there was a golden ring with one single black diamond embedded in the centre resting on red velvet.
Merry Christmas, my love. We will change everything when I come back. Bella.
Hermione gasped at the message. Her heart both cried in sadness and joy. "Bella..." she whispered as she carefully slipped the ring on her finger. It fitted perfectly and it sparkled in the early morning light. A single tear slid down her cheek as she touched the ring. She glanced around the dormitory. Bellatrix's bed was neatly made. With a sigh she gathered her things and left the dormitory for the girls' bathroom.
An hour later she walked into the Great Hall for a Christmas breakfast. The house tables had been replaced by just one long table. Teachers mixed with the few students who had remained behind. They were mainly Ravenclaws and the odd Gryffindor and Hufflepuff. The table looked like it was about to crack under the amount of food, Christmas crackers and funny looking toys. Hermione watched the scene for a moment or two before deciding to sit a bit further away from the larger group. She wasn't in the mood for company or pulling the silly Christmas crackers with Professor Flitwick. She piled some food on her plate, though it seemed quite unattractive. She wasn't hungry but she feared the all seeing eye of Professor McGonagall if she didn't at least pretend to eat.
"Merry Christmas, Miss Granger" came the voice of Minerva McGonagall and Hermione looked up from her bacon and eggs. She forced a smile on her face and almost automatically hid her left hand, with the ring, under the table. Ever since she had put it on, she had felt a strange tingling sensation in the pit of her stomach and she suspected Bellatrix had put some kind of charm on it though she didn't know what. But she didn't want for McGonagall to find out.
"May I join you?" asked her teacher and Hermione nodded politely. And so McGonagall slid down in the seat beside Hermione and provided herself with some food drink. There were a few moments of silence as both witches focused on their breakfast. McGonagall openly laughed at Dumbledore wearing one of the silly Christmas hats though Hermione merely smirked.
After about fifteen minutes Hermione could no longer stand the happy banter and chatting that went round the table. The smiling faces and the ongoing Christmas songs were driving her close to insanity. Her heart ached in her chest as the warm tingling in her stomach slowly spread through her body. She excused herself and stood up. When McGonagall was about to follow, Hermione spun around. Hazel eyes caught the green ones of her teacher. "I just want to be alone. Please..." She almost chocked on her tears as she spoke. McGonagall silently nodded and Hermione rushed out of the Great Hall. Once she was alone she looked at the ring on her finger. Whatever magic Bellatrix had placed on it, it was leaving her feeling even more alone. She sighed and dropped to the floor. She just wished for the Christmas holidays to be over.
Hermione spent most of her days walking across the ground, often tracing her own footsteps in the snow. She sat by the lake, watching how the occasional bird skidded over the ice. Flowers had withered and the trees had lost their leaves, leaving the grounds empty and bare. She would conjure up flowers and animals, only to watch them fade as the hours past. A weak winter sun sometimes peered through the grey clouds on the days that snow didn't fall. December silently changed into January and she spent New Year's Eve standing on the Astronomy Tower – watching the fireworks in the distance brighten up the ink black sky. It was a reminder of her loneliness and of how much time had passed since she arrived here. It had been 3 months and still there was no sign of anyone finding a way to send her home.
Eventually the first week of January came to an end and that Friday night the Hogwarts Express was due to roll back into Hogsmeade and return the students. Hermione paced around the Entrance Hall after she had spotted McGonagall and Dumbledore enter the Great Hall. It would not be long before the students would return. The big doors swung open and she could hear the familiar sound from the wheels of the carriage on the gravel. Her heart leapt up in her chest and she nervously turned towards the door to watch the students walk inside. There were so many of them coming in at once it was almost impossible to tell one apart from the next. Hermione rose to her tiptoes to overlook the crowd, her heart racing in her chest.
"HERMIONE!"
Her head snapped into the direction from which Bellatrix's voice had come and she discovered her as Bellatrix freed herself from a group of seventh year Slytherins. She crossed the Entrance Hall and wrapped her arms safely around Hermione when she reached her. "You are still here" she whispered into Hermione's curls and rested her head on her shoulder.
"I missed you" Hermione whispered in Bellatrix's ear. Holding her again almost instantly erased the awful feelings she had felt throughout the last two weeks. She took a deep breath, taking in the familiar scent of the dark haired witch's perfume "I wouldn't have left without seeing you again"
When they eventually let go of each other most of the students had already entered the Great Hall and Professor McGonagall was watching them from the open door. A smile lingered on her lips but Hermione saw the worry reflect in her eyes when she walked past her. They found a seat at the Slytherin table and Hermione said hello to Narcissa and Andromeda, both of which seemed very chatty and eager to know what it had been like to be left at Hogwarts. As the evening progressed, Hermione noticed Bellatrix was rather quiet and she nervously eyed her up from the side. Bellatrix was pushing her food around her plate without really eating anything and an absentminded look had filled her eyes.
It was late by the time everybody left the Great Hall and Hermione and Bellatrix avoided returning to the Slytherin common room. They walked around the castle, hand in hand until they reached the courtyard where they had talked the night before Bellatrix went home. Bellatrix climbed on the wall, her dark eyes resting on Hermione.
"What's wrong, Bella?" Hermione questioned as she too climbed onto the wall and sought her lover's hand. Bellatrix's hand was cold in her own and Hermione rubbed it to warm it up. "You have been so quiet"
"Mother and Father have been making arrangements for my wedding" Bellatrix spoke through clenched teeth and tightened her grip on Hermione's hand. The mere mentioning of the wedding was enough to send a cold shiver through Hermione's spine. She glanced at the golden ring around her finger. "I was forced to spend Christmas in the company of that pig Rodolphus Lestrange. That man will never touch me with one finger, I will swear to it now"
Hermione sighed. "What happened?"
"He is just an arse" Bellatrix spoke in a very unladylike manner. She knew her mother would magically let her wash her mouth with soap if she ever heard her speak in such a way. She rested her head against the wall. She felt all the frustration, anger and pain she had felt throughout the past two weeks rush through her again. Never before had she hated it so much to be in the company of her parents. Every night she silently wished she would wake up to find it had been a nightmare. But she never did. "Sometimes I just wish I wasn't a pure blood. No matter what my Father says. That I too can love whoever I want..." Dark eyes captured Hermione's gaze. "That I can love you"
Hermione's eyes fluttered shut. The words were both beautiful and painful. After a few seconds she opened them again to find Bellatrix staring into the night. Sadness overwhelmed her. It was clear Bellatrix really did not want to marry Rodolphus Lestrange and was being forced to do what her family expected her to. She was about to open her mouth and tell her she loved her too when a figure approached them from the shadows. In orange light of the torches Hermione recognized McGonagall instantly and felt a sense of irritation fall over her.
"I am sorry to interrupt Miss Granger, Miss Black" McGonagall said, her eyes flicking between Hermione and Bellatrix. There was something about her voice. Something electric, almost exciting. Hermione's eyes warily searched McGonagall's face but she wasn't giving anything away "I urgently need you to come with me, Miss Granger. The Headmaster wishes to see you right this moment"
Hermione looked at Bellatrix and she recognized the fear in her lover's eyes. Dark eyes had widened in horror at the appearance of McGonagall and were now riddled with fear. She felt it too. She nodded and slipped off the wall as to follow McGonagall. She was half way down the corridor when she turned and found Bellatrix still sitting on the wall and staring into the night. Even in the orange gloom of the torches she could see the tears glisten as they trickled down her lovers cheeks.
She followed McGonagall to Dumbledore's office. With every step her legs felt heavier and when she stepped into the office she found the Headmaster pacing around. He looked up when Hermione entered the room and behind his glasses his blue eyes lit up. "Ah Miss Granger, Minerva..." He walked around his desk and sat down. From his desk he picked up the diary Hermione had been writing in. She frowned. How on Earth had that ended up in here? She had not touched it for nearly two weeks and she did not remember removing it from under her bed. She then remembered Dumbledore had -of course- far more intelligent ways of magic to retrieve items and she sighed. Seeing the diary already told her why she was here. Her heart sunk into her shoes as she slumped down in one of the chairs.
"Miss Granger, I have received a positive message from your own time line. Apparently someone inside the Ministry has developed a method to reverse the effects of a Time Turner. This would mean that instead of sending one backwards in time it will send someone forwards instead. It has got everything to do with the hour glass inside the Time Turner and reconfiguring its magical limits" Dumbledore spoke whilst folding his hands on his desk. Behind Hermione Professor McGonagall seemed strangely excited. Hermione just felt her heart break further with every word. "They have given us the instructions how to achieve it. The Time turner should be ready to use within the next 48 hours"
Hermione felt nothing. Her heart didn't even ache. It had shattered in her chest. She felt hollow and empty. All she could think of was Bellatrix. All she could see were the tears sliding down her cheeks. She swallowed. "I... I am going... Home?"
McGonagall's hand rested on Hermione's shoulder, giving her an encouraging squeeze. Her voice was warm and kind, though it still betrayed her excitement. She remembered the devastated young witch that sat on her sofa two weeks ago. It had pained her to see someone so broken. "Yes Hermione, you are going home. This will all be over soon"
Hermione unexpectedly jumped to her feet and spun around. Hazel eyes pierced into the green ones of her teacher before she snapped them towards Dumbledore. Angry tears glistened in her eyes. She looked desperate. It was as if suddenly everything fell apart before her eyes. "What if I don't want it to be?"
"Miss Granger..." Dumbledore began but Hermione turned away. She didn't want to hear it. She knew she couldn't stay. But hearing it made it real. And she didn't want it to be real. She quickly walked to the door and rapidly made her way down the spiral staircase. McGonagall's voice called after her but she ignored her. Hermione's feet echoed through the stone staircase. Her heart pounded in her chest as she ran through the corridors, back to the courtyard where she had left Bellatrix. Her feet echoed through the empty castle corridors. She was relieved to see Bellatrix was still there and she threw herself in her lover's arms. She had been fighting her tears, her angry and her pain but now everything came undone. Bellatrix's brown eyes closed when she felt Hermione sob against her shoulder. Her fingers ran through her lover's hair and she rested her head against Hermione's body.
"They have found a way" Hermione whispered through her tears and she could feel Bellatrix's tears seep through her curls and down her neck. Bellatrix's fingers desperatly clutched Hermione's shoulders, her hair, her hands, her arms. Anything to hold onto her. Anything at all. Hermione's voice was smothered by her own tears. "They have found a way and they are sending me back..."
Bellatrix was silent for a few more moments and then, slowly, she moved away from Hermione and looked at her. She lifted up her chin with her index finger. With her other hand she searched for the hand on which Hermione wore the ring. "Do you know what this is?" she questioned as she touched the ring on Hermione's finger "This is a reminder of how much I love you. And by now you will have noticed it is no ordinary ring..."
Hermione nodded. The feeling she got as soon as she put it on had not changed. And since Bellatrix returned it had only gotten stronger. An invisible force that brought her back to Bellatrix. "What did you do to it?"
"Me? Nothing. But the ring has an identical twin" Bellatrix showed her left hand. Only now did Hermione see that Bellatrix was wearing the same ring. The black diamond glistened in the light. "The magical folklore states that the two diamonds will only respond when the rings are worn by destined lovers"
Hermione gasped silently. "Destined perhaps... but fate is deciding differently for us"
Bellatrix's hand slipped up the side of Hermione's face and caressed her cheek. Hermione rubbed her face against the palm of Bellatrix's hand. The witch's dark eyes glistened mysteriously as the corners of her mouth began to curl up into a little smile. Hope lingered in her voice. "How long do we have?"
"Less than 48 hours" Hermione whispered. The realisation began to sink in.
"We only need one" Bellatrix whispered and leant in to kiss Hermione. The kiss was desperate, passionate and hungry. Hermione answered her kiss and for several moments the world ceased to exist. When both eventually broke away, Bellatrix's breath felt warm against Hermione's skin. "Marry me"
Hermione stared at Bellatrix. Her heart was racing and it was pounding so hard in her chest she believed it was going to break free. Her voice betrayed her excitement and her fear."Marry you? But Bella...The timeline. You know we can't... it will change everything"
Bellatrix grasped Hermione's hand. Suddenly desperation flickered in her dark eyes. "How much do you really care about the timeline, my love? You already told me the truth! If I marry you now, it means I can never marry Rodolphus. It means that you can never marry anybody else. It binds us magically. Forever. Unless one of us dies or divorces the other the bond cannot be broken. It survives even the hands of time!"
Hermione forgot about all the restrictions. She forgot about all the rules and all the consequences. She forgot about the future and about the past. Her actions would destroy the world she knew. It would change everything. Though she would never know how much she had already changed things. She looked at Bellatrix. She felt manically excited, slightly crazy and completely overwhelmed. She smiled in a way she had never smiled before. "Where do we go?"
Bellatrix grasped Hermione's hand even tighter. The strength of the joined diamonds was overwhelming. She leant in and kissed her briefly. Devotion could be tasted on her lips. A trace of that familiar craziness that would become her character trait. "Come with me"
Hermione never asked how Bellatrix managed to Apparate out of Hogwarts grounds but when she opened her eyes she found they had reappeared outside an old, medieval looking church in the middle of nowhere. There was not a soul in sight. The nigh was dark and cold. The wind cut through their robes and pulled at their hair. Inside the church a weak light was burning and it came, as Hermione saw when they hurried inside, from several candles in the windows. It was cold inside too. She guessed the church to be several hundreds of years old and wondered to herself how Bellatrix knew of this place. Somehow Bellatrix did not strike her as someone who had visited churches throughout her life. She glanced at Bellatrix. She looked beautiful in the weak candle light.
This was crazy. Absurd. But she had to listen to her heart. She would never be able to forgive herself if she didn't. She would never know. And she would never have her in any other way.
"Isaac?" Bellatrix called and from the back of the church a man appeared. He straightened his back and Hermione guessed him to be in his late fifties. He had a round, bland face and short black hair that had started to turn grey at his temples. He was dressed in black robes and his grey eyes instantly focused on Bellatrix.
"Miss Black" Isaac spoke with a strong Irish accent, much to Hermione's surprise. A smile appeared on his face that reminded her of something, or someone, though she could not quite recall why. He curiously eyed up Hermione standing beside her. "How may I help you on this cold night?"
Bellatrix glanced at Hermione. "I need that favour you promised me, Isaac" Her dark eyes pierced into those of the middle aged man standing in front of them.
Isaac seemed to know exactly what Bellatrix meant. "The diamonds worked, Miss Black? The folklore has been proven right?" he questioned as his eyes drifted to Hermione and then dropped to her hand. He noticed how both witches were wearing the same golden band. He nodded, more to himself than to Bellatrix and Hermione. "I see... Miss Black, please follow me"
Bellatrix took Hermione's hand and they followed Isaac further into the church. With every step, Bellatrix's grip tightened. Hermione glanced at Bellatrix. She was not quite sure whether she trusted the man. He looked like a wizard, and a dark one at that, but he left her with a creepy and uncomfortable feeling. "Who is he, Bella?"
"Isaac is an old family friend. He is the man who provided me with these rings, my love. My Father's acquaintances have got some good use for me too. He was the one to tell me about the power of the diamonds once I learned about my arranged marriage. It was my intention to find my destined lover. Isaac also promised me he would marry me to whoever that lover turned out to be if it would prevent me from marrying Rodolphus Lestrange"
"Right, this shall not take long" Isaac spoke when they reached the little altar in the back. Suddenly Hermione realized how little this place looked like a church. No religious statues, no crucifix. No bible. But there was a small altar with several candles. From his sleeve Isaac drew his wand and turned to look at Bellatrix and Hermione. "Please take each other's hand"
Bellatrix's left hand took Hermione's left. Both rings now glistened in the candle light. It almost seemed as if the black diamonds were beating like two separate hearts, in two separate rhythms. It eased as Isaac drew his wand and aimed it at their joined hands. Bellatrix's eyes caught Hermione's. They looked at each other. Magic filled the air around them. Words needn't be spoken. There was a warm sensation shooting through Hermione, from her head to her toes. A light ignited in Bellatrix dark eyes. She appeared to light up under the magic that surrounded them. The rings around their fingers began to glow brightly and for a second the black diamonds lit up blood red. And then, they eased and the separate beatings slowly were reduced to one. The diamonds were beating together. Isaac slowly withdrew his wand and looked at the two witches before stepping backwards. "Your wish has been fulfilled, Miss Black"
Bellatrix looked at Hermione. "How does it feel to be forever magically bound to someone, my love?"
Hermione felt her heart glow in her chest. Forgotten were the rules, the promises and everything else. Tonight she did not remember her friends, her loved ones. She did not even remember the world outside these walls. Hermione's hazel eyes found Bellatrix's. "Like perfection"