A/N: Thanks you for all the reviews and support :) They are very much appreciated.

I do not have a Beta so all mistakes are my own and I apologise in advance for those I've missed. Thanks to Andrew and others that kindly pointed out some in the previous chapter :)

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 11: Plan In Motion

Hermione

Unsurprisingly, Hermione didn't get much sleep after her encounter with the dark witch during the night, her body and mind stayed worked up long after Bellatrix had returned to her cell. Yet again her feelings were in a state of turmoil. 'I can't believe it happened again… So soon after the last time…' However this time Hermione didn't feel half as guilty as she did before. She used some of that logic and reasoning she prided herself so much on, to relieve herself of some of the guilt. 'I didn't have much choice… She was already… Doing it when I woke to her…' A small smile forced its way up to the edge of her lips unwillingly, as she recalled to waking up to Bellatrix's lust filled eyes and her fingers entertaining her core. 'It was… A very erotic sight I must admit, and most definitely the best wakeup call I've ever had.'

A voice from the depths of her mind sharply rose to the surface. 'You barely put any effort into stopping it, you practically invited her in.' Hissed her conscience, snapping her away from the arousing thoughts, causing Hermione to scowl. 'Shut up, stupid conscience, where was you last night? I didn't hear you protesting then!' She snapped at herself, immediately feeling foolish afterwards. 'Great, now I've started arguing with myself… I really am going insane. Bellatrix must be rubbing off on me… Ugh… Now there's a distracting mental image I don't need right now…' Hermione groaned as she rubbed her thighs together and turned over in her bed, looking over at the raven haired sleeping beauty.

If she hadn't been confused about the woman before, she sure as hell was now; too many conflicting emotions revolved around her, too often did her… Feelings? Change in the blink of an eye. Last night had been a perfect example, as her feelings went from one extreme to the other, first she went from lust to anger, then from anger to hate, and then hate to… She wasn't too sure. She had an idea what it was; it was something positive, something good when associated with most people… But to associate such emotions with Bellatrix… Nothing good could come from that.

Her lust turned to anger when Bellatrix started going crazy. Hermione frowned and brought her hand up to rub her still slightly sore cheek, Bellatrix apparently hadn't been very pleased about Tonks kissing her, and showed her unhappiness by striking her numerous times. That alone should have been enough to reignite her hate for the woman again, but instead while Hermione was angry, she couldn't help but think Bellatrix was acting out of jealousy. Despite the woman shouting her claims of ownership over her, Hermione got the impression it was something more than that.

'She looked too… Hurt to be doing it out of possessiveness. But why would she be jealous? She despises me; she's only interested in satisfying her needs… Except, last night she didn't… She just pleased me, hell she didn't even undress, if she had wanted to satisfy her own needs, she didn't show it. She didn't even ask, or even demand it of me. So if she's not just after satisfaction… What is it then that gives her reason to act so jealous and hurt?'

She recalled the look on Bellatrix's face after Tonks had kissed her, and how the dark witch had laid on her bed all day with her back to her after that, not moving, not talking, and not eating. If it had been anyone else, Hermione could have reasonable assumed that the other person had hidden feelings which had just been hurt… After all she had displayed the same behaviour and experienced something similar during her sixth year… But this was Bellatrix Lestrange, not some hormonal school girl. 'This can't be the same… I mean… That would be completely insane to think Bellatrix has… What? Feelings for me…? Surely that's impossible… Isn't it?' Hermione tried to ignore the feelings of butterflies in her stomach, and the way her heart lifted at the thought. Instead she shook her head and carried on thinking about what had happened during the night.

Her anger had quickly grown to hate when the older woman brought her friends into the argument, with a comment that made Hermione's blood boil and was enough to make Hermione strike Bellatrix. She almost regretted hitting the woman and even nearly apologised for it, but she couldn't look weak at that moment in time, she had to make a stand for herself. Little did Bellatrix know that her comment cut her deeper then probably she thought would have, it had played on some of Hermione's concerns and worries that she had been plagued with over the past couple weeks. Like the feeling that she had been abandoned by those closest to her and that she was being unfairly treated because of her blood status. Although Tonks had tried to relieve her of such fears, her kind words were being drowned out in the face of the overwhelming evidence that spoke otherwise.

'Where are Harry and Ron? Why haven't they come to see me…?' The boys had been free for over a week and not once had they tried to contact her or visit. She tried to reason with herself, to convince herself that there was a perfectly rational explanation. 'They're probably not allowed… Hmm… No… That's not right; Oswin told me weeks ago that nothing had been said about me not being allowed visitors. That's why Tonks has been able to visit… Is it because I haven't been sent a visiting order? Tonks only came after she was sent one… But… Only one was sent, and she's turned up twice, thrice if she turns up again today. Maybe it's because she's an Auror and can turn up whenever.'

Deep down Hermione wasn't too sure she believed that, after all Kingsley was the Minister now and she doubted that he would have refused them if they had asked to come, visiting order or no visiting order. Hermione gritted her teeth and clenched her fists somewhat, after everything she had done to help the boys, after all the times she had stood by them, surely this once they could do the same for her. 'They haven't even a sent letter to say, they can't come or… Anything!' She looked down at her shaking fists, then over at Bellatrix again and frowned. 'Maybe… Maybe it wasn't Bellatrix that I hated last night, at least not personally… I think it's more that I hated the fact that she spoke my fears out loud… It made them seem more real…'

Either way, whatever the reason for her hatred last night was, it soon transformed into something new when their conformation reached its climax. Bellatrix had let something slip during the heated exchange, something that judging from her reaction she never meant to blurt out. 'Because I couldn't… Those were her exact words when I asked why she didn't kill me.' Her hate had all but vanished in the blink of an eye, curiosity, amazement; they immediately filled the void her hate had left. 'She couldn't kill me; she planned on doing it… But when it came to it… She couldn't. And it's not like she didn't have the stomach to do it, Bellatrix has caused pain, she's tortured and killed many times before, one more time wouldn't have… What? Weighted on her conscience? So why couldn't she?'

Bellatrix turned pale after blurting it out or paler then usual anyway. Her pupils dilated while her whole body seemed to shake slightly, which wouldn't have been noticeable to the naked eye if Hermione hadn't been holding onto her tight at the time. The older witch's mouth hanged open as she gaped for a few moments open and even begun mimicking a goldfish as she tried to reply to her questions. Even when she did managed to get the words out, it was with a stutter at first. She had claimed she had only let her live to pay off a life debt, for her saving the dark witch's life from the lynch mob after the battle of Hogwarts. Hermione wasn't too sure how plausible that was, as far as she was aware, Bellatrix wasn't the noble and honourable sort. But she might have bought that story, if it wasn't for how her body reacted.

Her curiosity had got Hermione to try and probe further, but Bellatrix quickly withdrew herself from the line of questioning and made a move to escape her company rather quickly. 'What could it be? That could cause Bellatrix of all people, to run from me?' The decent and polite side in Hermione went that one step further and thanked Bellatrix for not killing her before she left, and she was sure a smile flickered on the older woman's lips. It wasn't one of her deceptive smiles that Hermione was often given, or one of her seductive smirks or even a devious grin… But a genuinely warm smile that had made those butterflies flutter about in her stomach yet again, a feeling that was becomingly more frequently associated with Bellatrix.

The older woman warned her after that she was still in danger, then Bellatrix said something, something that was barely louder than a whisper, something Hermione was sure she wasn't meant to hear, but she did anyway. 'Just not from me...' It almost sounded like the older woman was telling that to herself for her own benefit. In that moment Bellatrix looked so… Vulnerable in Hermione's eyes, scared almost, like she was in new and uncomfortable territory. The idea that Bellatrix had feelings other than hate for Hermione, positive feelings, resurfaced once again to the forefront of her mind and with it came the feeling of butterflies once more.

Hermione sighed and closed her eyes; she sure as hell wasn't going to work it out anytime soon. As soon as she got close to figuring the dark witch out, she'd go and do something, or say something that would put Hermione back at square one. And it wasn't only Bellatrix's feelings causing confusion, but her own as well, she didn't hate the dark witch like she should, she didn't even entirely fear her anymore. She still had nightmares, but they were growing less frequent, and blurring with… A different sort of dream that involved Bellatrix. With every day that passed, every conversation and interaction they participated in, Hermione felt herself slowly being drawn to the woman.

At first she blamed it on her isolation, on her carnal desires and teenage hormones… But Hermione wasn't naïve, none of those reasons could cause the feelings for Bellatrix that Hermione was experiencing and trying so hard to deny she had. 'I can't have these feelings for her, of all people… It's bad enough that we've… That we've… Ugh… Twice now! But… To have an emotional attachment to her… What if… What if I'm falling for her? It feels like it did for Tonks… But bigger… And deeper… And… Oh Merlin… I am… I'm falling for a Death Eater…'

With a groan she got up out of bed and headed over to her water bowl where she splashed her face with cold water. 'Ok, snap out of it Hermione, you have bigger problems to deal with… Not much bigger then starting to fall for a Death Eater, but still slightly bigger and more life threatening.' Before Bellatrix left she had come up with a plan, a plan that she shared with Hermione. Who in turn needed to share it as Tonks, although she had to pass it off as her own plan, there was no way Tonks would believe Bellatrix… And Hermione rather the Auror didn't root about in the dark witch's mind for the truth, she'd see far too much. If Bellatrix was right, Hermione now knew who the identity of Bellatrix's mystery visitor was, and tonight they'd find out for sure.

Both Hermione and Bellatrix had been quiet all morning; the dark witch seemed to be too busy reflecting heavily on last night's events to have the time to engage with her. Hermione didn't mind, she found it interesting to watch the workings of Bellatrix's mind as her face and eyes continuously conveyed her own confusion. Both guards made an appearance some point during the morning and the one Bellatrix believed to be the contractor gave nothing away when he saw Hermione alive and well. Hermione grew increasingly nervous about Tonks's visit and the events that would be set in motion after, so much relied on trusting the former Death Eater, something Hermione wasn't too comfortable with.

It was mid-afternoon by the time Tonks turned up, but this time sadly with Oswin in tow. 'Dammit… I needed to tell her in private.' After what Bellatrix had told her, not a single person working in Azkaban could be trusted; every single one was a potential collaborator. Bellatrix's face darkened when she saw the pair turn up, although Hermione couldn't tell which one of the two was the reason behind the shift in her demeanour. 'Could be either… Tonks for kissing me, or Oswin because we need privacy… Although this is Bellatrix, it's probably both reasons.'

Tonks gave Bellatrix a quick dirty look, which the dark witch responded to with a snarl before turning to look at her. "Wotcher Hermione!" Tonks beamed and spoke in her usual energetic and cheerful voice.

"Afternoon Tonks. Afternoon Oswin." Hermione greeted them sweetly and gave them a false smile.

Oswin smiled and gave her a courteous nod as he withdrew his wand from his uniform. "Good afternoon Mrs Granger. I hope you don't mind that I'll be around while this visit takes place, I heard about the disturbance yesterday… And while I personally wouldn't mind Mrs Tonks here knocking her aunt about a little, it is more paperwork for me."

Bellatrix scoffed in the background and casually slid off her bed, a mischievous look played about around her eyes as she stared at Oswin. "Is that so? Take her wand and put her in the cell with me. Then we'll see who gets knocked about." She hissed lowly as she approached the bars.

"Shut it Lestrange." Oswin snapped back over his shoulder as he finished letting Tonks into her cell, the Auror gave her aunt one more dark look before slipping in.

Tonks approached Hermione and gave her a small hug, before they both headed her over to the bed where they took a seat on the edge. "You seem to be in a better mood." Hermione stated, while casting a quick look at Oswin and then Bellatrix, giving the older witch a frown which she replied to by giving her a brisk nod when no one else was watching. 'Hope she has an idea.'

"Do I? I guess I am. I got a good night's sleep for once." She said with a smile as she stretched and yawned. "Ted's been having trouble sleeping recently and err… Well… I did what you said yesterday. My aunt was around mums when I got back from work, she noticed I was having a little trouble settling Ted and gave me some advice… I didn't appreciate it, but I was civil… Tried it later when she had gone and it worked… Guess I should thank her next time she's around."

Hermione gave a small smile; she knew this was hard on Tonks and she could easily understand why. After all she had lost her husband and father recently, and in their place she was gaining a former follower of Lord Voldemort who indirectly was the cause of her losses. Yes, it would be hard and likely they would never become to close… But they both deserved the chance to build some bridges. "Good. See, she's making the effort too. It will take time, no one is expecting things to change overnight, but you will all get there, if you allow it." She said optimistically, resting a hand on Tonks arm and giving her an encouraging rub.

The Auror's eyes flickered to her hand and smiled warmly. "Yeah, baby steps right? The atmosphere was a little lighter I must admit, dropping one of her antique china cups helped a great deal." A mischievous smirk crossed her lips as she chuckled.

"Not on purpose I hope?"

Tonks grinned then shook her head before lying back on the bed. "You know me, clumsy as they come… Although if smashing one cup was enough to break the ice slightly… Maybe I should consider doing it to the entire set."

"Tonks!" She snapped jokingly and gave the Auror her best chastising glare as she looked down at her and lightly smacked her thigh.

"I kid I kid!" Tonks gave her a slight pout for being hit then laughed at the glare Hermione was giving her. "What about you? You ok?"

'Dammit…' Hermione involuntarily sighed at the question, now would be a perfect time to tell Tonks the plan, but Oswin was still watching and listening, Bellatrix looked like she had something in mind and was pacing her cell. 'What is she waiting for?' "Yeah…"

"You're a terribly liar." Tonks replied, losing the grin as she sat back up. "What's on your mind?"

Hermione pondered this, she couldn't tell Tonks the plan while Oswin was listening, but that wasn't the only thing on her mind and maybe Tonks could shed some light on the other matter. "I was just wondering, are the boys ok? I've… Not heard a word from them since they were released… Thought they would have come to see me by now…"

The Auror flinched slightly and sighed. "I'll be honest; I've not seen them too much recently but…"

"But?" Hermione probed, she was not going to let Tonks off until she had the answers she wanted.

"It's err… Well… What you've got to understand is... It's still sort of hectic out there; things are only just starting to calm down… I'm sure they will be free to visit or contact you soon." Tonks stared fidgeting a lot as she spoke, something Hermione had learnt the Auror sometimes did when she was either lying or hiding something.

She frowned slightly but stopped herself snapping at Tonks, she knew she was putting the Auror in a difficult position and so tried to remain as delicate and diplomatic as possible. "You seem to be keeping on top of it all though."

"Ah I'm just a single mum and an Auror, that doesn't come close to the hectic lifestyle of the saviours of the wizarding world… I… I mean you are one too of course, I'm sure you'll find out what I mean when you leave here." Tonks grinned and nudged Hermione playfully in the side as she teased and joked.

But Hermione didn't fall for it; she wasn't going to let Tonks distract her with her playful and flippant nature. "So… What you're saying is they're basking in their fame?" Hermione said as she came to her own conclusion as she read between the lines.

Tonks's eyes widened as bit her lip and shook her head. "No, no no of course not-"

"What were they actually doing when you saw them?" Hermione asked as she cut Tonks of midsentence.

"Oh they were… You know, being kept busy…"

Hermione narrowed her eyes at the pink haired woman, her patience quickly thinning. "Tonks…"

"I…"

"They weren't doing anything were they?" Hermione spoke in a flat tone of voice as she looked away from Tonks; her remark was more a statement then a question.

She felt Tonks's hand come to rest on her arm and squeeze gently, now it seemed it was Tonks's turn to be reassuring as she spoke softly. "I'm sure I just caught them when they were taking a breather…"

Hermione scoffed and rolled her eyes. "Yeah… Right…"

"Come on… Don't be like this-"

"Don't be like what?!" Hermione finally snapped angrily as she turned her head and glared at Tonks. Her hand came up and gripped Tonks's, giving it a hard squeeze before she forcefully removed it from her. "Don't be hurt or angry that they haven't made an effort to visit or even contact me!?" She said as she continued to shout and hiss angrily up close to Tonks's face. It was only till she paused to calm her fast paced breathing and wipe her misty eyes with the helm of her sleeve, did she realise who she was taking it out on. "Sorry…" She whispered as she gave her the most apologetic look she could muster.

Tonks was unable to hide her shock at the outburst; however she didn't shy away or look angry with her; instead her eyes remained soft as she looked upon her with sympathy. "I'm going to put my arm around you, and give you a little cuddle… That's ok right? You won't try kill me or anything will you?" The pink haired Auror asked her sensitively, while her tone still managed to retain a hint of her playfulness, the corner of her lips twitched and gave her a cheeky smirk. Hermione stared at her briefly then sighed; her angry front faded from her face and was replaced with a soft and amused expression. Smiling warmly she leant into the Auror who happily and quickly put her arm around her shoulder "I'm sure there's a good reason, so when you finally see them… Try letting them explain before you go all crazy on their asses."

Hermione let out a content sigh and enjoyed the embrace for a moment, fully aware of the other two watching her. 'Talking about going crazy… I hope Bellatrix doesn't overact over this… Not that she has any right to…' While she was curious to what her reaction, she dared not look at the dark witch right now in case it provoked her. "Yeah, I know… Sorry… It's just…" Hermione spoke softly as she looked down at her own fidgeting hands, not knowing how to explain herself. Something that hadn't escaped her notice was that she was starting to become more short-tempered and prone to cynical and slightly darker, more aggressive thoughts and feelings. She had a few ideas about the reasons why that might be, abandonment, imprisonment… Bellatrix. 'Perhaps it is her insanity rubbing off on me or influencing me.'

Tonks's voice soon snapped her out of her own mind as she nodded and began to speak. "It's just this place… Can turn even a perfectly innocent and sane girl slightly crazy… And especially considering who your neighbour is, I wouldn't be surprised if a little bit of her insanity was rubbing off on you." Tonks looked over at Bellatrix as she scowled, astonishing Hermione by echoing her line of thought. 'Tonks seems to be thinking along the same lines, perhaps that's all it is then.' Tonks returned to looking at her, the Auror's eyes narrowed as she studied her then grinned. "I mean, you are looking a bit more wild than usual."

Hermione's mouth dropped open and scoffed in amazement. "Thanks!" She said loudly, pretending to be offended she hit the Auror playfully and pouted.

"Hey! It was a compliment, please hurt me!" Tonks giggled and raised her arms in a defensive posture as Hermione hit her again; a look of mock fear momentarily crossed her face before she couldn't help but laugh and stick her tongue out at Hermione.

"Oh shut it." Hermione laughed and hit her arm a few more times.

After laughing together for a few moments and playfully shoving each other back and forth, Tonks spoke up again. "See, I promised I'd have that pretty little face of yours smiling… I kept that promise and I plan on keeping the other one too, we will get you out of here soon."

The sound of someone gagging drew both their attentions away and over to Bellatrix who was looking very repulsed. "Awww isn't that sweet, think I'm going to be sick. Lapdog! I don't want to see such a sickening display, abominations fraternizing with each other… This world really is fucked now." Bellatrix pulled another disgusted face and cackled to herself.

"Then hide under your bed Lestrange, no one cares what you want." Oswin snapped, looking away from Hermione and Tonks to glare at the dark witch.

Bellatrix rolled her eyes and strolled to the bars of her cell, a smirk crossed the woman's lips as she briefly made eye contact with Hermione. "I beg to differ dog. Do you have to stand so close to my cell? It's bad enough I can smell their sticking filthy blood, I don't need the smell of wet dog offending me too!"

Oswin turned to face Bellatrix, almost coming face to face with her "Will you shut up!"

"Make me!"

Hermione watched as the dark witch and the guard got into a heated argument, smiling to herself as she realised what Bellatrix had been waiting for. Bellatrix it seemed had been waiting to start a fight by reacting to her and Tonks, without making it look suspicious. "I would love to shut that mouth of hers… Preferably for good." Tonks muttered darkly as she watched the exchange, Hermione made sure Bellatrix had Oswin's full attention before turning to Tonks. She straddled the Auror and gripped her shoulders, pushing her down onto her back she lent in close. "Woah… This is unexpected… Don't stop." Said the Auror with a seductive smile.

She couldn't help but give her a small smirk in return before growing serious. "Shhh… I need to tell you something while Bellatrix is distracting Oswin." Hermione whispered closely in the pink haired woman's ear, she could feel Tonks's wriggling about under her and felt so bad for choosing this path, but it was the safest.

Tonks blinked in confusion as she looked up at her. "While Bellatrix is distracting Oswin? Almost sounded like you two are in league together and… And you've got that serious face on… Ok, shutting up."

"Don't overact or draw attention to us but…" She paused to make sure Tonks took that in before finishing her sentence. "Someone is trying to kill me."

"Wha-" Predictably Tonks began to overact, which Hermione expected despite warning her and quickly clamped her hand over the Auror's mouth.

"Shhhhh!"

Hermione gave Tonks a serious look and a waited a few moments before slowly removing her hand. "Bellatrix you mean? I know… I saw what she did-"

She cut the Auror off with a quick shake of her head. "No I don't mean Bellatrix, well I do… Sort of… Someone has… Erm… Hired her to kill me, someone that works in Azkaban."

"Wha-" Again Hermione's hand quickly covered up Tonks's mouth and kept it there for a few moments before letting her talk. "What?! Who would-" Tonks whispered lowly after being allowed to talk, only to be cut off by her.

"I think you know who."

"The Goblins?"

"Who else?"

Tonks stared up at her as she pondered what Hermione had said, behind them Hermione could hear Bellatrix keeping up the pressure and holding the guard's attention. "Wait how do you know this?" Tonks finally asked quietly after a couple seconds silence.

'Now for the hard part…' Hermione tilted to the side slightly and gestured her head towards Bellatrix. "She told me."

"And you believe her?" The Auror made a noise of disbelief and shook her head, the look in her eyes clearly showed she, unlike Hermione, didn't believe her aunt. "Hermione she's an insane, twisted fanatic evil psychopath, you should know not to believe a word she says."

Hermione had expected Tonks to disbelief her on that, and since last night she had not stopped thinking about how she could convince Tonks to believe her, without bringing certain details to light. 'Ok here goes…' "Tonks… Last night… Our cells were opened by… Whoever it is that wants me dead; she had clear access to me. She could have killed me or severely hurt me… But instead she chose to warn me."

Instinctively Hermione covered Tonks's mouth just in case, she hoped the Auror trusted her enough to believe her without the need to pry too much, she had never given her cause to disbelief her and she hoped the Auror wouldn't start now. Tonks's hand came up and gently tried to move hers away, Hermione tightened her grip slightly before allowing Tonks to remove it, praying that she wouldn't still try overreact. "She… What… Why…? I mean… I'm glad… But why did she? I mean she's…" Tonks's voice trailed off, too flabbergasted to know what to say, there was still an underlying disbelieving tone to her voice but Hermione could see in her eyes that the Auror believed her, at least somewhat.

Hermione nodded, she knew what Tonks was trying to get at. "I know… I'm not sure why… She just didn't want to. I know this will sound insane, but she's not as bad as she comes across."

Upon hearing that Tonks almost choked on her own tongue as she coughed and spluttered faintly under Hermione. Behind her Hermione was truly thankful for the sound of Bellatrix's voice growing louder, drawing additional attention to herself rather than Hermione and Tonks. She chanced a quick look back to see Oswin was indeed still focused on Bellatrix, smiling she looked back down at Tonks who had finished recovering. "You're right, that is insane!" The Auror mumbled as she finished regaining her breath.

"Are you sure she didn't hurt you?" Hermione could see that Tonks was studying her with her dark eyes as she spoke; they swept over her and narrowed as they inspected her closely. 'Please Bellatrix… Please tell me you didn't leave any visible marks this time…' The dark witch had left more than a couple of marks visible areas of her skin last week, but luckily she had shelves full of toiletries to cover them up with. But this time she had nothing, not even a mirror to check. Tonks hadn't said anything when she first turned up so Hermione had hoped that nothing was on show, but Tonks hadn't been actively seeking for something then and when Tonks gasped sharply, that hope was shattered."Wait a minute! Your cheeks! I thought they looked a little dark, they're bruised!"

Hermione groaned inwardly."Tonks shhh! Keep your voice down!" She said sharply in a hushed voice.

But the Auror didn't reply nor did she make eye contact, instead her hand brushed gently against her cheek then swept down slowly, moving her hair away from her neck and shoulder. Tonks's eyes grew wide rapidly as her mouth dropped open. "Wha… What are these marks? They look like…" Hermione felt her heart break upon hearing the hurt tone in Tonks's voice and the way that Tonks's hair slowly turned a faint saddening blue.

'Shit… Thanks Bellatrix, thanks a lot…' Hermione sighed and shook her head, she didn't have time to explain this to her, she knew she would have to now at some point, but for now other matters needed addressing. Hermione's hand came up and gently rested on Tonks's cheek, her thumb drew light circles on her skin in the hope to calm her slightly. "Tonks please… We don't have much time; you have to trust me… You do trust me don't you?" Hermione spoke gently, using her large warm brown eyes to help convey the feelings in her gentle tender heart.

Tonks stared up at her with sad eyes and blue hair to match, for a few moments her mouth kept opening as if to say something then clamped shut again. Her eyes drifted to Hermione's hand as she slowly stroked her cheek then sighed softly. "Of course…"

Sensing that the Auror could use a little pick me up before she went into detail, Hermione placed a soft discreet kiss on her forehead and gave her a small yet sweet smile. "Ok… Well listen close… We have an idea who it is… But you need to catch whoever it is in the act, if you try confronting them now and we're wrong…" Hermione left the end of her sentence hanging, hoping that it would allow her remark to sink in, Tonks seemed to catch her meaning and nodded once. "But I've come up with a plan."

From there Hermione began to whisper in her ear the plan that Bellatrix had come up with, changing slight details so she could pass it off as her own. Tonks did as Hermione had asked and listened close, she didn't interrupt once nor did she overact to what Hermione was saying, she merely nodded at the right moments as Hermione went on.

"What do you think? Can you do it?" Hermione asked her quietly after she finished reciting Bellatrix's plan.

"I think you should have told me sooner… But yes… I can, I'll need to leave right away though to make certain arrangements." The Auror answered her with an unusually serious tone; her features were stern as she slipped into her professional persona.

Nodding, Hermione looked back to see Bellatrix and Oswin still arguing then slipped of Tonks, letting the Auror climb to her feet. Hermione stood up close besides her, and gazed into Tonks's eyes, all the previous softness and warmth had fled her dark orbs. "I… You ok? With me I mean." She couldn't help but ask, partly wanting to check to see if Tonks was ok but also partly wanting to selfishly ease her guilt.

"Like you said, we don't have much time… We'll talk later." Again Hermione felt her heart break, this time at the sharpness in her tone and the way she dismissed her concerns. 'Less then I deserve…'

Hermione went to say something, but held her tongue before the words fell out. Instead she closed her eyes and sighed, nodding slightly before looking at the blue haired girl. Tonks remained hard faced as she turned away, walking out of Hermione's cell; she looked at Bellatrix briefly, catching her gaze before tapping Oswin on the shoulder. "I need to go, been called into work."

"Oh right of course. I'll show you out, starting to get a headache anyway." Oswin turned to face Hermione, giving her a warm smile before sealing her cell. "See you soon Miss Granger." Hermione nodded and smiled dishonestly before watching the pair disappear.

Both Hermione and Bellatrix listened to the sound of their feet retreating until they could no longer hear them, and then turned to face each other. Hermione braced herself, believing Bellatrix was going to scream and shout at her for how close she and Tonks had been, but the dark witch just smiled seductively. "Well? Is she in?" Bellatrix asked her, not trusting her emotions at the moment; Hermione just gave the older woman a short nod. "You did well my pet, you sure know how to put on a great act." Bellatrix paused to give her a smirk and a wink before looking down the corridor. "Get some rest muddy. It's going to be a long night."

Bellatrix

Bellatrix lay in her bed, impatiently tapping her feet together as she stared over at the girl's cell and out of the grate. Night had arrived and her plan was in motion, the girl had done her part by roping in her niece, but whether she was truly successful was another matter, only time would tell. 'Really is going to be a long night.' She thought to herself with a sigh, time had seemed to be purposely dragging on slowly by ever since Tonks had left earlier in the day. 'Will this moron hurry up and make an appearance already!'

She didn't doubt he would appear tonight, she had failed him again and he would want to know why. 'Why… Why indeed…' She dropped her gaze to the girl, the source of all her confusion. 'Why…' She wished she knew the answer to that, not for the benefit of her contractor, but for herself… Deep down, she already had an answer, one she had tried so hard to bury. Whether it was the right answer she didn't know, but she did know she didn't want to admit to it… She never wanted to admit to that again.

She cursed the girl under her breath for what she was doing to her, for everything she was bringing back to the surface after all those years. 'Even if it is… That… What use is it to me here? The Dark Lord is gone; he will never return I know that… Just as I know I will never be free again… So again, what use it that to me?' This time when she cursed under her breath, it wasn't just the girl it was aimed at, but the Dark Lord too, as well as his followers, her family, her sisters, the whore… But most of all she cursed herself.

Bellatrix watched as the girl shifted on her bed, she knew Hermione wasn't asleep either, no doubt she was waiting to see events unfold, it was her life on the line after all. A Part of her, a foolish part but a part of her nonetheless, wanted to make ideal conversation with the mudblood, in an attempt get to know her better. But she quickly mentally chastised herself for that idiotic desire, for one she had no idea when her contractor would appear, she couldn't risk everything by indulging her curiosity, just in case they were caught… And two, why would Hermione want to participate in mindless chitchat with her, a Death Eater, with someone who's harmed her on more than one occasion. Sure the girl was pleasant and civil enough at times, even to her, but that didn't mean anything significant… The girl was a good person, she was the type who would try to be nice with anyone, but given the option… She wouldn't want to be within a hundred miles of her.

'Bah… When is he coming! Obviously the lack of sleep is messing with my head!' She snorted to herself and starting clucking her tongue as her impatience grew, and after a while she soon found that she had been right to chastise herself about talking to the girl, as a male voice reached her ears. "Still awake Mrs Lestrange? I take it you've been expecting me."

'About time!' Bellatrix thought as she stretched lazily then slowly sat up before she bothered to answer him. "I figured you might show your face, yes." She replied in a bored tone as she pretended to check her nails.

"Then you've also figured out why I'm here." Bellatrix smirked to herself upon hearing the poorly concealed annoyance in his tone.

Yawning to herself, Bellatrix pushed herself out of bed and strolled over to her bars, her eyes quickly found the figure cloaked in the darkness as she looked down the corridor. "Boredom?"

"Closer then you realise, we are growing bored of you fast Mrs Lestrange." The man said with a sharp tongue, again Bellatrix couldn't help but be amused at his emotions leaking out through his charm. 'Shoddy work, someone was in a hurry it seems.' His charm was still working enough to distort his original voice, but that didn't matter, not now. "I am here, once more to find out why you failed us yet again."

"You best hope you've silenced her cell, she's been restless all night… I can't imagine why." Bellatrix cackled to herself and quickly wetted her lips. "Poor little mudblood will be having nightmares about last night."

"It is, for unlike you I actually do my job well." He sneered at her from the shadows before adding. "Spare me your false concern for the girl and stop avoiding giving me the answers I seek."

"I'm not avoiding anything you idiot! You've yet to ask." She retorted cheekily and smiled, she was enjoying playing around with him, especially now that she could hear the frustration in his voice.

"If I were you Mrs Lestrange, I'd be very careful right now. We are far from happy with you, just like the girl, your life is in my hands-"

Bellatrix cut him off with a cold icy laugh. "If you were me then you'd know your threats are meaningless! Have you forgotten who I am! Who I served?! You pale in comparison to the Dark Lord and what he could do."

"Is that so? Perhaps we'll put that to the test once the girl has been dealt with."

'This fool will be in for a shock very soon.' "Why are you in such a hurry to see the girl dead?" Bellatrix asked slowly, hoping to get a few answers of her own before the noose tightened around his neck.

"It is none of your concern Mrs Lestrange, especially now it seems you are incapable of carrying out the deed." The mysterious man's voice was cold and menacing, his patience wearing thin.

"I am more than capable of doing the deed!" She hissed darkly, not sure if her reply was more for her own benefit then his. "If your employers are in such a rush to see her dead, why did you hire me? Why not kill her yourself?"

"We all have our… Talents but murder and assassination are not some of mine, at least not directly. Hence why we approached you… But I guess your talents were exaggerated."

Bellatrix growled lowly. "You simply minded fool, how little you know. Those were never where my talents laid, torture and breaking someone however, is what I do best." She spoke slowly, lazily, stressing the talents she prided herself so much on.

The man didn't reply at first, Bellatrix saw a slight movement of his head, as if his gaze had shifted in Hermione's direction despite not having a view of her from his position. "She doesn't seem broken to me."

Smiling to herself, Bellatrix looked over to the sleeping girl. "That's the beauty of it; on the outside she looks as strong as ever… But inside, she's broken. Broken and terrified." Said Bellatrix with a soft yet confident tone, ignoring the sharp stabbing sensation piercing her heart. "She'll die on the inside first, much more rewarding."

"And how are you going about that with nothing at your disposal apart from your own body?"

A small smirk crossed her lips, it was time to alter her plan slightly. "You just answered your own question… My body." Bellatrix giggled for a moment and gave her contractor a moment to consider what she may have meant… And if the girl had played her part well and things were going as planned, then her comment wasn't just for his benefit. "She can't resist it... And despite what I am, she's allowed me to… Fuck her oh so hard. She wants me." Bellatrix paused monetarily when she heard the smallest of sounds, she savoured the reaction to her comment.

Her contractor however didn't seem to notice the sound, grinning devilishly to herself, Bellatrix carried on. "How do you think she feels about that after? What do you think would be going through her mind? Mmm I'll tell you what, she's thinking what would her friends and everyone she knows and cares about say? And how will they react when they discover what she's been doing with a Death Eater?" Bellatrix's smile briefly faltered as her own comment hurt her, knowing that the girl would blame her, hate her, for the consequences of their desires. "The guilt she must feel, the shame, the betrayal… Her betrayal, it's eating her up-"

An angry female voice cut her off. "I've heard enough!" Grinning to herself, Bellatrix looked back down the corridor. The swooshing sound of a cloak being thrown off followed and a figure appeared out of thin air behind her contractor as the invisibility cloak hit the floor and before he could react, the newcomer yelled out her spell. "Stupefy!" A red light briefly illuminated the dark corridor before it hit the man and sent him flying a face paces back and landing face down not too far from her cell.

Bellatrix couldn't help but feel a sense of satisfaction, not only at seeing the arrogant and foolish man facedown unconscious, but also her niece's reaction. The original plan had been to wait and see if her contractor would offer her another chance on the girl's life before her niece moved in, but knowing that Tonks was listening… Bellatrix couldn't resist enlightening her about Hermione, she wanted to make a point that the girl was hers and hers alone.

"Temper temper Tonksee, you wasn't meant to reveal yourself just yet." She teased as the lights came on.

"Shut your lying mouth!" Tonks snapped as she finished turning the lights on and lowering her wand, she strolled forward with a dark, hateful look on her face and came to a standstill by the unconscious man's side. A movement in the cell opposite caught her eye, Bellatrix looked up and saw Hermione pulling herself out of her bed, having been stirred by the lights coming on.

Hermione strolled to the bars of her cell and smiled at Tonks warmly, but her niece remained hard faced, much to Bellatrix's amusement. "You might want to take the silencing charm down." She said sweetly, Tonks shot her a dark look before swishing her wand in an elegant motion.

The brunette looked at her briefly before dropping her eyes to the body on the floor. "You was right then." Hermione muttered, both her and Tonks followed her gaze looked at the man with black hair wearing guard robes. Tonks nudged the body with her foot and rolled him over onto his back to reveal Gabriel's face. 'So far so good, everything is according to plan… Well almost according to plan.' She thought to herself and smirked.

A/N: Hope you enjoyed Chapter 11 ^_^ Thank you for reading and I'll update soon x