A/N: Hello all I'm back! First of I apologise for my absence, between moving house and settling into my new job I haven't had much time to write, but I'm back now :) Thank you all for support so far and I hope you enjoy the latest chapter ^^ It is mostly filler building up to future chapters so I apologise again if it's a little slow. Also I don't have a beta so all mistakes are my own, I do triple check but I will miss stuff, I hope they don't ruin the story too much for you and if you notice any feel free to tell me :).

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 4: Blushing Betrayals

Hermione

Hermione woke feeling surprisingly refreshed the following morning, she let out a long yawn then wiped the sleep from her eyes with the back of her hand as a smile graced the corner of her lips. Hermione couldn't recall the last time she had slept so well, while on the run with Harry and Ron sleep had been one of many luxuries that had been in short supply. They used to have to take it in turns to stay awake and keep watch just in case something came up and more often than not, Hermione had to take over Ron's shifts as he couldn't be trusted to stay awake. And when it was her turn to sleep, she rarely did, her mind would dwell on her friends, her family, on everyone, as she worried all night long. Even when the war had ended there was too much work to do to just sleep away precious time, 'Perhaps I should have seized the opportunity then, if I had known what was to come…' And then there had been her nights in Azkaban, the eerie silence had been so… Loud, the solitude so unnerving, it had been maddening.

But the silence had ended last night, the solitude revoked. The sole cause for her good night sleep was laying just a mere few feet away from her, the sleeping form of the torturer and murderer, Bellatrix Lestrange. Hermione shifted in her bed and lay on her side as she looked into the cell opposite her, capturing the very image of the Death Eater in her brown orbs. Hermione had been terrified during their little joust, she lost her calm composure and allowed the dark witch to get to her, words had fell from her lips that never in her wildest dreams she would have said almost literally to Bellatrix's face.

Hermione gulped slightly as her own words replayed in her head, an image of how angry Bellatrix had been flashed in her mind. 'She won't forget that… But she can't physically get to me, I may be only a few feet away but I'm safe.' She wondered if Bellatrix knew how afraid she was, or if she was too busy raging to notice her shaking body and sweating brow. When the exchange began to flow into even more uncomfortable and dangerous ground, she abandoned the harsh banter and retreated to her bed where she huddled under her blankets and faced the wall. A little yawn had slipped from her lips, drowned out by Bellatrix's shrieking as sleep began to approach. Bellatrix's screaming, her shrieking, her barrage of vicious slurs had served Hermione as a very twisted and insane lullaby. The fact that her tormentor, the star of her nightmares, was able to lullaby Hermione to sleep with her hate was as laughable as it was insane. 'I guess Azkaban doesn't need the Dementors to drive people crazy…'

With another yawn, she arched her back and stretched out her arms as she then sat up, pulling the blankets around her. Sunlight was pouring through the grate in her wall, a rare occurrence for the prison stuck in the middle of the North Sea, it illuminated her cell and stretched into Bellatrix's, encasing the older witch in a warm glow. 'Very deceiving, there's nothing warm about that woman.'

Hermione's hand moved over her stomach as it let out a low rumble, the sound of footsteps echoing down the hallway then followed. 'Good timing, breakfast.' Hermione thought with a smile as the low hum of lights coming into existence accompanied the footsteps. She let the blankets fall from her as she swung her legs off the bed and stood up; adjusting her garbs trying to look as smart and dignified as one possibly could in the prisoner attire.

Sure enough a black haired male guard in dark navy blue robes came into view in front of her cell just after the lights in her cell and in the hallway came on. Two trays were levitating besides him; both with a bowl of what doubtfully would be another serving of something grey and lumpy and a few crusty bits of bread. Hermione stepped forward towards the bars and smiled at the guard. "Good morning."

The guard just responded with a grunt and whipped out his wand, with a flick of his wrist a section of the bars began to part until they were just wide enough for the tray to levitate through. Hermione took the tray, her stomach churned as the smells, dull and bland as they were, reached her nose. 'Just as I thought, grey and lumpy… How did I guess?' She looked up from her breakfast and met the guard's gaze. "Thank you." She said politely, not allowing the guard's glum mood or his rudeness in refusing to acknowledge her, bring her down. 'I wonder why the guards don't talk to me? Apart from Oswin.'

The guard gave a stiff nod then closed the breach between her bars and then went on to do the same for Bellatrix, not bothering to wake her, he deposited the tray on her floor then went on his way after closing the gap. Hermione sighed then took her tray of food over to the bed and sat down on the edge where she then started to dip a chuck of crusty bread into her morning meal. She nibbled on the bread, savouring the non-existent taste as her mind pondered over the events of last night.

Between the shock of having Bellatrix as a neighbour, their harsh exchange and a good night's sleep, Hermione had barely had a chance to think on what Oswin and the Aurors had said. 'Oswin sounded shocked when he asked if no one had been to seen me, why would he ask that if prisoners… Or at least if I was allowed visitors? I can understand Mrs Weasley wanting to see if Ron was ok first, but surely someone would have thought to come see me after?' The cruel thought that maybe she had been abandoned, forgotten, crept into the back of her mind. 'No… I'm sure there's a perfectly logical explanation, maybe they could only see one prisoner per visit and they are just waiting for their next visit to see me.'

As Hermione took a mouthful of the grey lumpy mass, her mind then turned to the blonde Auror and the indirect promise of getting word out to Tonks. 'Least that was some good news, Tonks has pulled through and maybe she'll visit. The blonde Auror said…' A sudden familiar sense of jealousy, guilt and shame knotted her up inside as the blonde Auror's giggling face flashed in her mind. 'She called her Nymph…' Hermione dwelled on that for a fraction longer then shook her head vigorously, refusing to allow herself to speculate and jump to conclusions. 'Relax Hermione… Just relax, no need to add wild theories to the equation… Not when the reality is bad enough as it is.'

Hermione paused from her meal to look up at her reality. Bellatrix was still fast asleep, Hermione couldn't get her head around just how normal and peaceful the Death Eater looked, her tranquil state masked all the hate and darkness that Hermione knew was shimming away under the surface. 'To look at her like this you'd never guess the evil she is capable of… Then again you probably wouldn't have guessed Voldemort to be the evil manipulative tyrant and oppressor that he was if you saw him fast asleep… Although Voldemort wasn't beautiful, unlike Bellatrix and…' She froze as the last words crossed her mind. 'I truly must be losing it… When have I ever thought her to be beautiful? She's not!'

A frown formed across her brow as she thought that over, her eyes couldn't help but settle on the older witch's features, taking in Bellatrix not as a Death Eater, but as a woman, while her mind recalled images from that day at Malfoy Manor where Bellatrix had been up very close and personal. Bellatrix's defined face, her smooth pale skin and full red lips immediately sprang to mind, her thick dark eyebrows sat atop a pair of large dark orbs whose depth you could get lost in. Her thick dark hair which was more unruly then Hermione's own, that trailed down against her slender neck and over her firm shoulders. Although now missing, Hermione recalled the silver gothic styled crow skull pendant which would draw the eye and sat nestled comfortably between Bellatrix's large shapely… Hermione stopped her line of thought abruptly before she got too carried away and let out a sigh. 'I guess she is beautiful… In a twisted black rose sort of way.'

It took Hermione a few seconds to realise that she had allowed her eyes to become fixated on the clear outline of the other witch's bosom, her eyes stalking the motion of her chest rising and falling as she breathed. Hermione felt her cheeks warm as she blushed and quickly dropped her gaze back down to her breakfast and continued to eat, hoping to quickly block out the latest distraction, the latest trick her mind was playing. 'Yes, a trick. No other explanation for it. Barely seen anyone for weeks, of course Bellatrix will be looking good right about now and… And… Shut up Hermione…'

Hermione took a few mouthfuls and ate the remainder of her bread as she tried to turn her mind away from Bellatrix and the slightly inappropriate lines of thought that were frustratingly trying to make themselves known. As she finished the bowl and dwelled on the goblins and on how much longer she was going to be stuck here, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand to attention and the uneasy feeling that she was watched forewarned her. Hermione closed her eyes and focused, there was only a few sounds going on around her so it was easy to concentrate on one in particular. Bellatrix's breathing had changed, that coupled with uneasy feelings suggested that the dark witch was now awake and that Hermione should prepare herself for the oncoming storm.

'Ok relax Hermione… Don't let her see you afraid don't let her get to you and she'll get bored quickly… Hopefully.' Despite trying to calm herself and muster some courage, Hermione just sat on the edge of the bed looking down into her now empty bowl, fidgeting with her spoon, scraping it along the edge trying to make a sound to distract herself with. 'Oh this is ridiculous, I'm not going to hang my head all day and hide… If I don't let her get to me, what could possibly go wrong?' Taking a deep breath Hermione looked up and sure enough she met Bellatrix's gaze whose eyes were burning into her, filled with raw emotion that Hermione took a wild guess at being hate.

The dark witch was half laying on her side, half leaning forward, her body propped up by her elbow digging into the mattress as her palm provided support for her head. Lurking in the back of her mind was her previous line of thought, which pushed its way to the front of her mind as she took in Bellatrix's intense gaze. Hermione's eyes betrayed her and dropped to the older witch's cleavage which was peeking out from her prisoner garb as she leant forward, a warm blush crept up Hermione's cheeks. 'Oh… Crap.'

Bellatrix

Bellatrix stared intensely at Hermione, completely lost in thought and unaware that the younger witch had noticed and was meeting her gaze. 'Intelligence, beauty, love… Hate, deceit, betrayal… That and so much more, that is all I am reminded of when I look upon this mudblood's face. A face which is an exact copy of… Hers, the living doppelganger of that… That whore! Even now… Long after her death I am haunted with the image of her face in my dreams… And now I must face it when I'm awake too? Will I ever be free of her?' Bellatrix stiffened as a cold ethereal chill rippled down her spine, snapping her out of her troubling trance.

It took Bellatrix a few moments to realise that she was still staring at the brunette, and a few seconds longer still for it to register that the young witch was staring right back at her. The other witch looked flushed which Bellatrix found odd as the last thing Azkaban was, was warm. Another cold chill stuck her, this time across her chest which felt slightly uncovered; Bella's eyes dropped and gave her chest a short fleeting glance and noticed that her cleavage was on full display.

"Enjoying the morning view are you muddy?" Bellatrix said in a casual and seductive manner, the younger witch didn't reply and Bella's eyes didn't gaze up to see Hermione's reaction, instead she manoeuvred herself slightly so that more could be seen. A sly grin formed across her lips as she briefly admired her own assets, slowly Bellatrix's eyes moved up and looked through the curtain of unruly hair that had draped over her face. The brunette's face had become more flushed and she quickly looked away once she saw Bellatrix watching her. 'Interesting… A weakness for flesh, that may come in handy later.'

Cackling to herself quietly, Bellatrix sat up straight and looked over to the tray of food on her floor. "I see the food hasn't changed." She said in a flat tone of voice, she swung her legs out of bed and moved slowly over to the tray, taking full care to sway her hips side to side with each step in the hope of further exploiting the mudblood's weakness. She did the same when she bent over to pick up the tray, taking plenty of time to give a good show, a quick peek at Hermione told her that her actions hadn't gone unnoticed as the brunette's cheeks continued to betray her.

Bellatrix wrinkled her nose in revulsion when she took in the scent of her morning meal. "I don't know what smells worst, this muck or your filthy blood mudblood." Bellatrix spat to the side then went over and sat on the edge of her bed as she started to eat; screwing her face up in disgust with every mouthful of the now cold gruel she took. Looking back up, Bellatrix saw the younger witch now sitting in the corner, her knees pulled up to her chest with her arms wrapped around them, looking away lost in thought at the wall.

"What's wrong little muddy? Cat got your tongue? I seem to remember you being much more vocal last night." She asked in the sweetest tone of voice she could muster as she placed the tray to one side. But Hermione didn't answer her, instead she kept her eyes fixed on the wall, Bellatrix growled lowly and dug her nails into her palms, clinging onto the small amount of restraint she had and tried again. "So since we're going to be neighbours, why are you here muddy? You know why I'm here, only fair I have the same courtesy." Bellatrix tried to sound as soft and genuine as she possibly could, although part of her was genuinely curious. 'First she saves my life, then I find her, one of the… Apparent saviours of the wizarding world, stuck in a place like this… She may be a filthy mudblood, but she's definitely somewhat intriguing.' "You may as well answer me mudblood, keeping to yourself here is a sure way to drive yourself insane. I should know."

But still Hermione didn't answer, all she did was give Bellatrix a small blank look before turning to look back at the wall, Bellatrix's nails dug further into her palms until the warm moist feel of blood began to trickle, then she felt the small amount of control she did haves, snap. "Filthy mudblood scum! Who do you think you are ignoring your superiors? If I ask you a question I want an answer! And one way or another I always get my answers." Bellatrix snapped with a tone full of malice and venom, her hand swept to the side and flung her tray against the bars, scattering the remaining contents across her floor and spilling over into the hall. "Insolent filthy little wretch!" She spat out before then moving to lie back down on her bed and started to gaze up at the ceiling.

"I'm paying the price for helping to save the wizarding world." The quiet voice of the brunette came from across the hall; Bellatrix blinked and turned her head to look over at Hermione who was now looking at her.

But before she could say anything else the sound of approaching footsteps echoing down the hallway drew near. A man wearing the dark navy robes of a prison guard came into view, he peered briefly into Bellatrix's cell and gave her a revolted look, then frowned at the mess she had caused. He whipped out his wand and cleared the mess, then with another flick both Bellatrix's and Hermione's tray vanished, he gave Bellatrix another fleeting glance then turned to face Hermione's cell who had got to her feet and approached the bars of her cell.

"Morning Oswin." The brunette said with a small smile.

"Good morning Miss Granger." The guard replied in a cheerful manner which was almost enough to make Bellatrix want to gag.

"Please, I said you could call me Hermione." Hermione said with amusement, her hand came up to her mouth to cover up a soft chuckle.

"Ah right yes, I forgot… Did you sleep well?"

"I did strangely enough, thanks… Erm you?"

Bellatrix snorted and rolled her eyes as she laid back down, leaving the mudblood and the ministry lapdog to their banter before their pleasantries and small talk made her want to vomit. Hermione's face crept forward to the forefront of her mind, the smile she gave the guard when she saw him. 'Whore… All a mudblood is good for.' An unfamiliar twinge rippled through her stomach, Bellatrix shook her head and dismissed it as lingering pain from her injuries.

She lost track of time as she laid there thinking over recent events, her master's downfall, her sister's betrayal, but more often than not her mind kept returning to the mudblood. As much as she despised mudbloods, there was something about Hermione that intrigued her, she was an enigma and one that Bellatrix was finding herself more and more keen on solving every time her mind returned to the mudblood. After a while she started to grow bored of dwelling on her own thoughts and instead Bellatrix allowed herself to listen back in on their conversation.

"Really? Wow, that was very shrewd of you." The guard just said as he laughed lightly. "Oh… That reminds me, I nearly forgot the reason why I'm here. I spoke with Head Warden Brown last night after leaving you and I've arranged you're visiting order."

"You have? You mean I really can have visitors?" The brunette blurted out quickly as her brows rose in what Bellatrix assumed to be surprise.

"Of course, they said nothing about not letting anyone see you. Now I hope you don't mind but I took the liberty of doing yours right away and sent an owl straight away addressed to your Auror friend."

"Nymphadora?" No I don't mind at all! Do you know how long it will be till you hear back?"

"Oh not long at all, her reply already came back, here." Oswin handed the brunette a small envelope through the bars of cell, who then opened it hastily, her face lit up as her eyes scanned the contents.

"3 days… She'll be here in just 3 days! Thank you Oswin!" The brunettes face was positively glowing as a large smile danced about on her lips, for the second time that morning the same unfamiliar pang passed once again through Bellatrix's chest as she watched the mudblood almost jump for joy at the prospect of seeing her blood traitor sister's whelp. "Can I… Can I keep this?"

"No need to thank me Hermione, it's the least I can do after all you've done for the wizarding world… And I don't see why you can't keep a hold of it, now unfortunately if you'll excuse me I got something to discuss with her." Oswin turned to face Bellatrix's cell while the younger witch went over to her bed and started to reread her letter. "Mrs Lestrange." He said in a bitter tone of voice.

"What do you want! And make it snappy! It's bad enough I have a filthy mudblood whore in my sight, don't need a second pathetic creature tainting my view." Bellatrix spat out.

"Believe me Mrs Lestrange, I'd rather dance with dragons then interact with the likes of you." Oswin spoke calmly but the hate in his voice was clear.

Bellatrix cackled loudly, mocking the guard. "That can be arranged."

"Perhaps, but not by you. Anyway, the sooner this is over with the sooner I can be done with you; you too have a visiting order. Your sister Mrs Malfoy will be here in a few days."

Bellatrix leapt up from her bed and moved swiftly right up to the bars of her cell, causing Oswin to take a step back. "I can save her a wasted journey; you can tell my blood traitor of a sister that I don't want to see her!" She shrieked out at the top of her lungs as her hands gripped at the bars tightly.

"I don't take orders from you, nor am I doing your dirty work. Tell her yourself." Bellatrix snarled at the guard whom now was turning on his heels and proceeding to leave but stopped just before he vanished from sight. "Oh I forgot to mention, the new bathroom facilities are up and running. Regretfully we don't have enough bathrooms for each prisoner so you'll have to share and-"

"What?!" Both Hermione and Bellatrix yelped out at the same time, Hermione put her letter aside as she too got back up to her feet and moved over to the bars.

"You can't stick me alone in a bathroom with her!" Hermione said quickly, her voice shaking with what Bellatrix hoped was fear.

"I understand Hermione, but everyone has to share and for obvious reasons female prisoners cannot share with males, so sadly that leaves you with little choice."

"But she'll kill me!" The younger witch's face was panic stricken; her eyes had grown wide in fear. 'Yes muddy, be afraid, be very afraid.'

"No. I promise no harm will come to you; the room will be separated by wards. She will not be able to cross into your side or come close." Oswin gave Hermione a small reassuring smile, but it did nothing to ease the look that was on the brunettes face. "I have to go, take care Hermione and don't worry, it will be fine and soon hopefully you'll be gone from here and back home where you belong."

Without another word Oswin turned tail and left. Bellatrix's eyes followed the guard's back until he was out of sight then turned to meet Hermione's gaze who still looked terrified. "Well muddy, I think we're going to have some fun days ahead of us." Bellatrix said in a low seductive tone as she tilted her head to one side, a small grin appeared across her lips. "I'm sure you'll get more than an eyeful… And so will I." Her tongue flickered out and wetted her lips. Hermione seemingly quickly caught on to Bellatrix's meaning and retreated to her bed with a blush while Bellatrix cackled hysterically away.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed chapter 4 ^_^ this chapter was harder to write because I hate doing filler, but the next few chapters are all mapped out so I'll update soon.