A/N: Thank you for your continued support 3 Just a quick note, Bellatrix referring to the Weasley's in CH2, as Weasels wasn't a typo neither was Bella referring to Longbottom as Fatbottom. Just Bella being Bella

Disclaimer: The world of Harry Potter and the original storyline are not mine; they belong to J.K. Rowling.

Read, review and most of all… Enjoy!

Chapter 3: Waking Nightmare

Hermione

Over the crashing of the waves below, Hermione found herself being woken up upon hearing a faint voice and small peculiar noises in the back of her mind. Too exhausted from a lack of a good night's sleep she didn't bother to look around and check for the source, she doubted very much it was real and that her mind was more than likely playing tricks on her. Hermione pulled the blanket tighter around her in a vain attempt to fight of the icy cold belonging to the North Sea, and then tried to get back to sleep.

But the voice didn't cease. Hermione tried desperately hard not to turn over and look, if she looked and it turned out to be nothing, yet again, she would have to face that fact that she might be starting to lose it. Another sound came, the sound of heavy footsteps approaching and then a much clearer and louder voice as the footsteps grew closer. "Is it ready?" A deep male voice asked.

"I'm just finishing adding the last of the wards and charms." A quieter male voice came, much closer than the other voice. 'Coming from outside of my cell?'

Silently and slowly, Hermione eased herself from lying on her side facing the wall, turning until she laid on her other side so she could see out of her cell. She could tell from the faint orangey glow that the lamps in the corridor were lit, despite it being past lights out. A male guard of average height with dark brown hair, wearing a set of dark navy blue robes stood with his back to her, his wand was drawn, aimed at the cell opposite her and was moving elegantly through the air.

A man and a woman in brown trench coats, which Hermione instantly recognised as Aurors, came into view next with their wands drawn, the tips lit to provide a better source of light. The male Auror was a short middle aged stocky man with dull brown hair marked with numerous grey strands, while the female was much taller and younger than her companion, towering over him with short platinum blonde hair. They stood silently by the man in navy robes until he turned and gave them a nod, lowering his wand as he did so.

One of the Auror's flicked his wrist at the cell opposite; the gate became more defined as it separated from the bars it was fused into, the hinges and lock came into existence and once fully formed, the other Auror approached and unlocked the cell. "Bring her." Said the Auror who had made the gate materialise. 'Her? Who's her?'

Hermione heard another set of footsteps approach, but it wasn't the person that was walking that caught her breath, it was the woman in prisoner garbs who was being levitated and guided into the cell by a younger man. Hermione's eyes fixed on the only aspect of the floating woman that she could see from the awkward angle she was laying. 'Long hair… Long black hair… Long wild thick black curly hair… No no no! It's her!' That head of hair was unmistakeable; she had seen it in her dreams attached to a certain dark witch way too often. 'Relax Hermione, just… Relax… Maybe… Maybe it's someone else…'

Hermione watched and bleakly hoped as the woman was lowered down onto the bed, being placed on her back. The Auror stepped back from the sleeping woman; Hermione gasped sharply as his wand lit up the woman's face, highlighting the pale gaunt yet beautifully defined face of the Death Eater, Bellatrix Lestrange.

"No!" Hermione yelled as she sat up, all four sets of eyes turned on her, the older male Auror in the corridor pointed his wand into her cell, casting the bright white light over Hermione. "Please, not her! Not there!"

"Silence prisoner!" The Auror in Bellatrix's cell snapped.

"Mr Robinson, show the girl some respect. That's Hermione Granger, I'm sure you are aware of who she is?" The guard in the navy robes spoke up.

"Miss Granger? The Miss Granger? Part of the Golden Trio who took down You-know-who?" The Auror replied surprised.

"The very same, and for Merlin's sake... Use his damn name." The guard sighed at the younger Auror then turned to give her a small smile.

"What's she doing here?!" The woman asked in a very surprised tone, the shook clear on her face. 'Clearly Kingsley is doing very well at keeping this secret if even the Auror's aren't aware.'

The guard seemed to contemplate best how to answer her question before sighing and shaking his head. "It's… Complicated… Head Warden Brown will be able to elaborate when I escort you back to his office." The younger man left Bellatrix's cell and sealed it behind him, while the man in navy robes continued to regard her. "How are you feeling Miss Granger?"

Hermione blinked in surprise, it was the first time since arriving that anyone had said more than two words to her, let alone asked her how she felt. It was a simple question, but one that made her eyes sting. "Tired…" She said hesitantly, then paused for a second, if this guard was engaging her in conversation she wanted to make the most of it and asked about the first thing that came to mind, her friends. "Do you know… How Ron and Harry are?" Hermione's voice came across more desperate than she had intended but she figured if he knew who she was then he more than likely knew them too.

"As far as I know they are doing as well as can be expected. They are getting more than their fair share of verbal abuse, but they are giving as good as they get."

Hermione found herself smirking slightly. "I wouldn't have expected anything less from them... And how about things on the outside?" Again, without meaning to, Hermione's questioned tumbled out rapidly from her lips with, betraying how desperate she was for some sort of social interaction. 'Sane and civil social interaction that is... I'm sure I'll be getting plenty of not so pleasant social interaction soon enough.' Her eyes flickered to Bellatrix.

The guard's eyebrow rose in bewilderment, apparently picking up on her desperation. "Has no one been to seen you since you arrived?" Hermione shook her head. 'Has Ron and Harry had visitors…? And if so… How come no one has come to see me?' "Hmm I'll have to see Head Warden Brown about that, as for things on the outside… Well, the wizarding community has a long road ahead of them, the celebrations have died down and everyone's in a state of mourning with services for the fallen running daily." There was a brief moment silence, the war had touched everyone's life and in some way, everyone had lost someone. "Is there anyone on the outside you'd like to visit? I'm sure the Minister will allow it for you."

"No… Wait, yes. A friend, an Auror called Nymphadora Tonks if she's recovered enough from her injuries yet." The thought of seeing a familiar friendly face gave her eyes a hopeful glint.

"Nymph? I visited her in St. Mungo's a few days ago. She was awake and very restless , pouting over having to be confined to bed" The female Auror giggled slightly and Hermione felt a surge of jealousy at the use of the pet name she used to use for Tonks when they were alone and together.

"She's been asking after you, she seemed worried. All Kingsley's said is that you three have gone to have some time away from the public eye." The blonde looked around at the cell and frowned. 'She's been asking for me?' "Abit too literal for my liking… But she'll be glad to see you I'm sure. She's cut up about losing her husband and I'm sure she'd appreciate talking to a close friend." The reminder of Remus's death filled her stomach with a deep sense of guilt and disgust at herself.

"I'll see what I can do." The guard said as he gave the Auror a short nod them a glancing smile at Hermione.

Hermione gave a small smile in return. "Thank you Mr…?"

"Ah forgive me. It's Harrington, Oswin Harrington Deputy Head Warden for the South-East point of Azkaban... It's err… Quite a mouthful so you may call me Oswin Miss Granger." Oswin chuckled, ignoring the eye-rolling his Auror companions were doing.

"Thank you Oswin, and please call me Hermione."

"Alright then Hermione."

A deep laboured breath from Bellatrix's cell reminded Hermione why Oswin and the Auror's were here in the first place. Her eyes moved to the sleeping figure of the dark witch, although in the faint light it was hard to tell if the witch was still sleeping or not. "I… I don't mean to… Interfere… But can't she be placed somewhere else? Please…"

The small faded from Oswin's face as he turned his head to regard Bellatrix. Hermione felt the small bit of hope she had been clinging to, plummet, it was clear from the look now occupying his face what the answer was. "I'm sorry Hermione, but this is where we've been instructed to put her… It was… Well seeing as you're surprised I guess you weren't told… But it was one of their demands." A dark frown shadowed Oswin's eyes, 'Their? The Goblin's?'

"Why? Why would they do this?" She barely understood why the Goblin's wanted the trio's imprisonment in the first place, she knew why she went along with it, but why they wanted it in the first place? 'Surely they don't truly blame us for all those deaths at Gringotts?' And now this? Demanding for Bellatrix Lestrange to be placed opposite her? 'What are they playing it…'

"Why would they do any of this in the first place? I really don't know… I know this might be hard on you-"

"Might? She's the one who gave me this…" Hermione snapped as she jumped to her feet, getting close to the bars. She craned her head back and traced the scar on her neck and then pulled up her sleeve sharply, revealing the word that would forever be etched into her flesh 'Mudblood' "And this!"

"I'm sorry… I know it's only a small comfort, but she won't be able to hurt you… And with luck you'll be out of here real soon." Oswin gave her a grim smile and gestured for the Aurors to start making a move. 'She can't hurt me physical no… But mentally… I'm not sure which is worst coming from her…' "Try and get some sleep Hermione, I can't guarantee you'll get much once she awakens." He frowned and gave her a last sombre look then left with the Aurors, the lights slowly dimming until she was left in darkness again.

"Yeah… Sleep… I don't that will be coming to me anytime soon…" Hermione muttered to herself, turning on her heels with a sigh she drudged herself back over to her bed.

She sat in the corner on her bed, her knees pulled up to her chest with the blanket wrapped around her. She rested the side of her head on her knees and watched her new neighbour sleep, although the lamps had been turned out, the moonlight coming through the grate in her wall reached far enough to illuminate Bellatrix somewhat. Hermione wasn't too sure why she was staring at her tormentor rather than trying to get back to sleep, perhaps it was down to the past ten days of near solitude that made the sight of other human beings almost alluring, even if this one was Bellatrix Lestrange.

'Strange… She looks… Peaceful, almost.' Hermione scoffed at the though, the idea of the Death Eater ever looking somewhat calm and normal was absurd. Despite this state of tranquillity being achieved only because the dark witch was asleep, Hermione for some reason had always believed that Bellatrix would have looked as demented when she was asleep as when she was awake. That even in her dreams she was a sadistic and hateful bitch, torturing, maiming and killing innocent people for the sheer thrill of it, and that it would have reflected on her face… Not that Hermione often thought about Bellatrix sleeping. Her mind couldn't help but wonder what the dark witch could possibly be dreaming about.

The sleeping form of Bellatrix took in a sharp breath and Hermione froze as the dark witch threatened to wake up. She watched as Bellatrix's face twisted with pain, her brow and nose crinkled up while her lips trembled and pressed tightly together, another sharp gasp forced its way from her lips before her features then slowly began to relax. 'I guess she's still in some pain from the battle.' Hermione thought as she watched her slip back into a state of serenity and then something she couldn't quite make out rose in the pits of her stomach. 'Sympathy? No… No that can't be right, must have been hunger pains… Or something… Anything but Sympathy for… Her.'

Hermione sighed. 'What am I doing? What's wrong with me? Staring at her rather than trying to get some sleep… Admiring her sleeping form and having foreign feelings for… Ugh.' She shook her head and lent back, her head coming to rest against the wall. 'I'll clear my mind and go back to sleep… This is what happens when you barely get any sleep for ten days then get woken up when you finally get some…' She closed her eyes as she began to pace her breathing, pushing out all distracting and irritating thoughts from her mind, primarily ones to do with her new neighbour.

Once she was satisfied she was in a good place mentally, Hermione opened her eyes and allowed herself to slide down onto her back. She let out a small yawn and arched her back before adjusting her blanket, despite herself, she spared the sleeping figure one last glance… But what she saw was a pair of large dark orbs staring right back at her. '…Fuck.'

Bellatrix

"You!" Bellatrix hissed out as she met the gaze of the girl who occupied the cell opposite her, Hermione Granger. Bella pulled a disgusted face and hoped the light was poor enough to mask her confusion. 'What's she doing here!'

She had woken when a surge of pain had shot through her heart, but that wasn't the reason why Bellatrix's heart was now racing; she had felt something else… She had always been beautiful, especially when she was younger, so she was used to people looking and staring at her for some reason. And after years of service to the Dark Lord and serving her sentence in Azkaban, her senses had been sharpened to a fine point; she could tell when eyes were on her and this girl's eyes had most definitely been lingering long before their gazes had met.

The mudblood had yet to speak and just stared back in shock, clearly she hadn't planned on being caught staring at her. "What are you doing here muddy?" She hissed again as she slowly sat up on her bed, her gaze didn't drop from the girl's once. Bellatrix let out a low impatient growl when the girl didn't answer right away. "Well? Answer me!"

The girl shook her head rapidly. "N… No… It's none of your business!" The girl's defiance was mired with hesitation and fear which brought a smile to Bellatrix's lips. 'This girl remembers that day as clearly as I do.'

"Oh? Has muddy forgotten her lesson already? Forgotten what happens when you refuse to answer my questions?" Bellatrix swung her legs of the bed and got to her feet, she was held back momentarily by an aching spasm in her chest. Adjusting her clothes slightly after the pain dulled, she slinked over to the bars in a predatory manner and pressed her face up against them to get a better look at the young witch. To her satisfaction the mudblood had tried to put some extra distance between them, only to find she was already up against the wall. A brief look of irrational panic filled her face, then she seemed to realise that Bellatrix was incapable of getting any closer, her face and body relaxed marginally but the fear lingered in her eyes.

"I… I'm not… Not afraid of you. You can't hurt me here." The girl held her head high as she spoke, her voice wavered at first then became more firm and defiant, her knuckles turning white as her hands clenched firmly. Bellatrix grinned then let her gaze drop to her hands as they moved slowly up and down the bars, her cheek then came to rest against the cold iron.

"Oh my pet, there's no point lying to me. I can see you're fear… I can smell it." Bellatrix spoke softly as she continued to study the bars; she inhaled deeply then allowed her eyes to snap back up to meet the brunettes gaze, then licked her lips slowly. "I must admit, you smell delicious when scared…" Her words made the young witch shudder. "But you didn't answer me Muddy, have you forgotten your lesson?"

Hermione didn't answer right away, nor did Bellatrix feel the need to demand an answer out of her, she could see the girl clenching her jaw as she thought about how to reply. "There's nothing I could ever learn from the likes of you!"

Bellatrix blinked, surprised for a split second at the venom in the girls tone then started to cackle, she cocked her head to the side and smirked as she noticed how the girl was gripping her forearm. "Gripping it won't make it disappear mudblood… Like I told you then… It's permanent… Can't have you forgetting your place now can we my pet?"

The girl jumped up from her bed and moved to the bars, tears began to glisten in her eyes. 'Well aren't you a brave little lion.' "I am not your pet!" Hermione hissed.

"Oh but you are. You bare my mark." Bella's eyes drifted down to the girl's covered forearm and grinned. "You'll always be my possession. No matter how many weasels you whore yourself out to…" Her gaze came back up to meet the mudbloods and smiled innocently. "I'll always be with you, whenever you close your eyes and feel their dead weight on you, I'll be the one you see."

The young witch was shaking with rage, or fear, or perhaps both, she slammed her hands against the bars. "Shut up! You vile bitch!"

"Ohh what a filthy tongue, goes well with your filthy blood mudwhore. Tell me muddy, how many of the weasel's beds do you warm? Do you cater to the whole family? Even the bitches?" Bellatrix sneered at the brunette. 'That's all a mudblood is good for! Whoring!' Bella's face remained unfazed when her heart twinged with the faint reminder of heartbreak.

"I'm not like you!" Hermione spat out and as soon as the words left her mouth, her stance changed and she stepped back slightly, as if she hadn't meant to say that out loud.

Bellatrix snarled and her eyes narrowed on the witch opposite her. "And what… Is that… Meant to mean!" She hissed out slowly with a chilling tone.

"N… Nothing…" The girl stepped back further away from the bars as she stuttered slightly.

"Out with it filth!" Bellatrix snapped, but the girl just broke away from her gaze, staring at the wall as she shifted about uneasily. "Pathetic! And here I was beginning to think maybe you had some fire in you… But no, you're just a muddy scaredy cat Gryffindor! How did a coward manage to get into the supposedly noble and brave house of Gryffindor anyway?"

That got Hermione's attention, Bellatrix mused as the brunettes head snapped in her direction. "I'm not a coward… And you're… You're the whore!"

"Excuse me?"

The girl took a few steps closer back to the bars as she seemed to muster that infamous and highly nauseating Gryffindor courage. "How many of Voldemort's followers did you slip into bed with? How many of them were rebounds when your master kicked you out of his?" Bellatrix's eyes grew as wide and dark as bludgers, shaking with rage as the girl continued to move closer and insult her. "You dress… Or I should say, DRESSED like a slut and was surrounded by men all day and night long! And you have the audacity to call me the whore? You really are demented!" Hermione let out a sharp short laugh and glared at Bellatrix with a smug smirk.

"You dare…. YOU DARE MOCK ME? MOCK THE DARK LORD!?" Bellatrix shrieked out in rage loud enough to cause ringing in her own ears. Her hand shot out through the bars with uncanny speed towards the young witch, making the mudblood jump back despite Bellatrix's outstretched arm coming not even close. "I'll make you eat those words muddy! Mark my words I'll cut out your filthy tongue and feed you it before I kill you!" Bellatrix slammed her shoulder into the bar's ignoring the pain that shot through her as she reached out as far as humanly possible, her hands clenching at thin air, gritting her teeth as she hissed.

"Don't like it so much when the tables are turned do you!" Hermione spoke a little quieter as she lost her verbal momentum, her bravery starting to slip away.

Bella snorted and pulled her arm in, she then began to pace up and down along the bars, like a predator stalking its prey, her eyes never leaving the brunettes as she growled and hissed. "There are no tables muddy! Only a person's rightful place! You are dirt! Filth! Your place in your pathetic life is to be down on your hands and knees in the mud before your betters! Your superiors! I.e ME!"

Hermione's gaze broke away from Bella's. "Don't remind me… I already know how much you enjoy me under you…" She muttered to herself as she thought out loud, but Bellatrix caught part of it.

She stopped pacing and stood in the shadows in her cell, her face masked by darkness as she watched the brunette with a murderous gaze. "What was that?! Speak up muddy!"

"I said! I already know how much you enjoy me under you! I felt you that day! I felt how… How… Ugh… How aroused you were when you were straddling me!" The brunette pulled a repulsed face as she spoke.

Bellatrix didn't know what to say to that, she wanted to deny it, call the girl all the names under the moon that she'd associate with one of her blood status. But her tongue became knotted; in actually fact the girl was right, sort of… 'As if SHE personally was the reason I was somewhat aroused…' "Aww poor little confused girl… I don't know how long you been here, but it couldn't have been more than 2 weeks… And yet you're already been driven senseless… Just goes to show how weak mudbloods are!" Bella laughed, her attempt at mocking covering up the small sense of doubt burning within at her own words. 'Humph! Smouldering embers of something I wrongly felt years ago… Nothing else! Fucking mudblood… Why does she have to look so similar! As if I need the reminder!'

"I wish that were true…" Hermione said quietly then turned towards her bad, without saying another word or even giving Bella a second glance, she slipped into her bed and faced the wall.

"How dare you turn your back on me! I'm not finished with you muddy!" Bellatrix shouted, her anger being renewed by the nerve of the girl, but she didn't answer or move. 'I'll be damned if that girl gets the final word AND THEN! Gets some sleep!' Bellatrix had slept away most the day and sleep was the last thing her body craved, so instead she spent the rest of the night howling abuse at the girl opposite her.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed chapter 3 ^_^ How did you like the first interaction between Hermione and Bellatrix? Reviews are much appricated ^^ I'll update soon!