A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews and support :) Sorry this chapter took so long to get up, some parts proved difficult and…. Got distracted by a new game (The Last of Us is amazing!) Check the bottom A/N after for a question ^^ Hope you enjoy this chapter ;) you'll be in for a couple surprises.
I apologise for any mistakes I might have missed.
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 12: Exposed
Bellatrix
Bellatrix fidgeted uncomfortably on an old wooden chair, the cold hard iron restraints chaffed away at the skin around her wrists and was starting to turn them red raw. The restraints curiously enough didn't entirely restrict her arms; the ends were bolted to the arms of her chair with a short chain between the fastenings which gave her some freedom to flex her upper limbs. The slightest movement of her body would cause the slightly uneven chair to rock; the legs would hit the tiled floor with a dull thud that echoed around the room, much to the annoyance of the other occupants.
Scowling to herself, she looked around the room that her niece had brought her and the brunette to with a small team of Aurors in tow. It was a large rectangular shaped room designed not unlike the bathroom they used, black tiles made up the flooring while the same light grey stonework made up the walls and ceiling with dark mahogany beams forming the same pattern. The two longest walls were lined with a dozen torches each on black iron mounts and the ceiling had a smaller yet more elegant chandelier providing the main source of lighting.
She was left to sit near the back of the room, away from everyone else. On the left hand wall which was closest to her, had several slightly tatty middleclass bookcases and cabinets. One of which seemed to play host to the Head Warden's supply of liquor, something that someone must have had stored away if they voluntarily wanted such a dismal job in the hell of the wizarding world. At the end of the wall was a small side door that led to somewhere Bellatrix didn't care to know about. To her right however, was a similar arrangement of cabinets and this time wooden shelves, but also a large marble fireplace situated in the centre which was burning away brightly.
Several leather chairs sat around a table on a large cream fur rug by the fire with the girl occupying one of the seats. Near the end of the room was a large sturdy desk with three additional leather chairs, two in front of it which were taken by both the Minister and her niece, and another on the opposite side which Head Warden Brown occupied. Compared to the rest of the room, her shoddy chair was very much out of place. It was clear that prisoners were never meant to come to this part of part of Azkaban, never meant to taint the Head Warden's private quarters.
She wasn't sure how long she had been sitting in the office; since arriving she had been interrogated by both Brown and Kingsley over recent events. So far she had been honest and told them almost everything, barring the sexual involvement with the girl. There was no reason to keep her contractors secrets, he meant nothing to her and she was only too glad to drop him in it. While she could have lied and made it hard on them, they would have found out eventually and she rather they didn't root about in her head for the truth. Although that was something she was sure they would do anyway judging from the disbelieving looks on their faces.
Bellatrix frowned and repositioned herself slightly on the seat as her rear began to grow sore. Thud. The three around the desk were talking in hushed whispers while drinking refreshments, looking back at her every now and then, when Bellatrix caught Tonks's gaze she smirked slyly when she saw the hurt and hateful glare.
Thud. The latest thud got the girl's attention and she looked back at her, her soft brown eyes locked onto hers and after a few moments the girl smiled slightly. Despite herself Bellatrix couldn't help but smile back a little. 'She won't be smiling when she finds out that I… Made sure my niece knew that the girl now belonged to me.' A slight twinge of something pricked at her heart… It wasn't that she felt guilty about letting Tonks know that she had claimed her, but she did feel something when she thought about what the girl would say, how she'd feel about her actions. Regret maybe? She wasn't sure, it wasn't exactly a feeling she was used to.
"Well Mrs Lestrange, when Tonks here came storming into my office earlier to fill me in, I must admit I was sceptical at first." The Minister said from the front of the office, drawing her attention in his direction. "While we… Appreciate… What you've done. I find myself wondering why? What are you up to Mrs Lestrange?"
"Again with the whys? Because I felt like it, is it so hard for you to accept I did the… Right thing?" Bellatrix scowled at them, ever since they had brought her from her cell, all they had done was ask her why. "I'm beginning to think I would have gotten less hassle if I did kill the mudblood!"
The use of the slur gained her some annoyed and angry looks from the occupants of the room, baring Hermione who remained unfazed. "Can you blame us for finding it hard to believe you did this purely out of the good of your heart?" Kingsley went on to say, Bellatrix was about to make a witty comment when she overheard her niece whisper to the Minister 'What heart?' Her dark eyes snapped to her sister's whelp, glaring darkly at the insolent girl. "Your memories, as well as Gabriel's, will need checking to verify the truth."
The sound of the brunette choking slightly on her drink drew her gaze for a split second, Hermione was staring down at her cup, the colour in her face had drained and she went deathly pale at the idea of Bellatrix's memories being checked. 'She fears our secret will be found out.' She mused. "I've told you everything!" She hissed at Kingsley, hoping to deter what he had in mind, not just for the girl's sake, but hers. She had many things in her head that she never wanted to share, things that were too painful for her to bear and while she counted the mudblood whores betrayal as one of them... It wasn't the worst memory she had, it was close, but there was another that trumped it.
"Then you have nothing to hide." Kingsley retorted as he turned in his seat to stand up, but a hand lightly grabbing his arm stopped him.
"I'll do it." Tonks said coldly as she got to her feet. "I'll make sure she has nothing to hide."
Again Bellatrix chanced a quick glance over at Hermione, this time the girl was looking her way. Her large soft brown eyes were open wide; Bellatrix could see the look of despair in her chocolaty orbs as the girls lip trembled and she silently pleaded with her body language for her to resist. Bellatrix's eyes gave no false hope, her lips made no unspoken promises as she looked at her now approaching niece. She would try to resist, but she wasn't sure who she'd try to do it for more, her or the girl. "Like hell you will!" Bellatrix spat down at Tonks feet. "I'm not having filth inside my head!"
"Shut it Lestrange!" Tonks snapped as she pulled out her wand and aimed it her forehead. Thud. Bellatrix rocked in her chair, trying to pull away until her niece clamped her spare hand around her jaw, her nails dug into her flesh hard causing Bellatrix to hiss dangerously at her.
"Get… Off… Me!" Bellatrix growled out darkly as she tried to muster her most commanding and intimidating tone of voice. It was a futile effort and she knew it, her niece was many things but scared of her wasn't one of them, all it did was give her another reason to tighten her iron grip on Bellatrix's face.
"Legilimens!" A blunt force accompanied Tonks's cold tone, a force that struck her mind hard as her niece tried to force her way in. Bellatrix's brow creased as she tried to resist the forceful intrusion, she would have snorted and laughed at the effort under different circumstances, compared to the Dark Lord, her niece's attempts barely classed as a tickle. But as a result of her incarceration she was underfed, out of shape and out of practice, not to mention she hadn't slept yet, whereas her now orange haired niece was in her prime, she wasn't too sure if she could keep her out indefinitely. The sound of thumping echoed around the inside her mind as Tonks continued to hammer at her barriers, Bellatrix could see the strain amidst the determination in her niece's eyes. 'She's desperate to know if what I said was true.' She thought with mild amusement, she couldn't help but imagine the look on her face if she saw those images… And with that thought, her concentration waned, weakening her barriers enough for Tonks to barge her way in. 'Fuck.'
Images freely poured before her mind's eye as Tonks began her search, Bellatrix tried to wilfully force her out but in her state she couldn't halt the Auror's momentum. Instead she tried to throw images in her way, hoping her past actions would disgust her enough to make Tonks want to retreat… It almost worked when she threw Sirius's death in her face, her niece briefly faltered and she felt her despair, but it didn't last long, that despair became a hateful force which continued to plough through her memories.
Fear filled Bellatrix and her heart almost stopped beating when the memories revolving around the Longbottoms began to surface, she tried hard to keep them buried but Tonks must have sensed her desperation and tried harder. She had to keep that secret above all else, she had managed to keep it hidden for over three decades and she wasn't about to let it slip now. And so, cursing her niece, she let her see the memories she was after, her encounters with her contractor Gabriel and her activities with Hermione.
Images of darkness and shadows delivering poisonous messages flashed before them, each encounter was re-enacted word for word before the images then shifted to the previous two sexual rendezvous with the girl. Images of passionate and forceful kisses, their sensual skin on skin contact as their hands explored each other's bodies, the noises the girl made when she touched her where she needed it most and how she begged for Bellatrix to fuck her. The latest images showed how she had abused the girl's body, insulted her, dominated her and most of all, how much the girl had enjoyed being treated in such a way. Those one's proved too much for Tonks, Bellatrix could feel how quickly her despair returned, this time in force, and her agonising heartbreak and her anger at what she saw as a betrayal.
Her niece's grip tightened till her arm began to tremor under the continuous strain, the hate Bellatrix could see in Tonks's dark eyes had never burnt as fiercely as it was now. Tonks's wand lowered slightly, only to then jab hard against her neck, twisting it as she bit down on her lip, her hair changed from a fiery orange to jet black. 'Bless her, Tonksee wants to kill me.' Bellatrix thought as she gave her heartbroken niece a dark smile. 'But she doesn't have the guts.' "Do it." She whispered, just loud enough for her niece to hear. "Go on, two simple words… I'm sure even filth like you can manage it." Bellatrix continued to goad her, tilting her head back to give Tonks better access but not once did she break eye contact and still the spell never came, despite how clear the desire was.
"So… Weak… Just like your mother!" Tonks's face grew even darker as she insulted Andromeda, Bellatrix could feel the hate radiating off her. 'Just a little further and I'll be free.' "So pathetic… Look at you, just standing there feeling sorry for yourself, powerless to do anything because you're too weak to do the deed… I fucked her and she loved it." And with the latest taunt, Bellatrix finally got a reaction.
Thud. Thud. Her chair rocked hard as Bellatrix recoiled on her seat from the backhanded slap Tonks delivered. The blow had left her staring hard at the floor to the side, her cheek stung something rotten and if Bellatrix had the use of her hands, she might have even swallowed her pride to stroke the stinging flesh. 'Well… She definitely got that from her grandmother.' She thought, slightly amused at what her mother would say if she knew her abomination of a grandchild inherited something from her.
Bellatrix looked back when she heard the sound of her niece's retreating footsteps as she headed back over to the Minister and the Head Warden. "She spoke the truth." Tonks said with no hint of emotion to her boss and together all three of them started talking again in hushed voices, although she did hear her name mentioned, as well the mudbloods. The reminder of the girl gave Bellatrix cause to look over in her direction, worry and fear was etched onto the brunette's deathly pale skin, her eyes seemed to be begging her for reassurance, but she only needed to hold Bellatrix's gaze to know that there was none to be found.
Not knowing what to say or do, Bellatrix dropped her gaze and peered back over to the desk at the front. 'We all must live with our actions, even a member of the precious golden trio. It's not my job to comfort and reassure the girl, why should I even care? She was just a plaything used to add a bit of excitement to my imprisonment… Nothing more...' But just like her previous thoughts regarding her feelings or lack of feelings for the girl, she wasn't sure if she believed it, she could shout it from the top of her lungs with the utmost conviction, yet part of her still would be nagging inside and questioning it. There had been very few points in her life where she ever questioned herself, she had always known her own mind and her body, and had always been certain in her beliefs after joining her former master. But not anymore it seemed, at least, not in matters regarding the mudblood girl.
A knocked on the door behind drew her attention and turned her head. "Enter." Head Warden Brown said.
The door opened and in stepped Oswin. "I came as soon as I got your message sir." Oswin said as he closed the door behind him, when he turned back around, his eyes flickered between herself and Hermione, his eyes widened ever so slightly before quickly shaking it off and walking over to the head of the room.
"I'm sorry to drag you out at this hour Harrington. But a matter has arisen in a wing under your jurisdiction and as Deputy Head Warden I believed you'd want to be present." Brown said with a slight smile to Oswin.
"That's perfectly alright sir, I was still awake writing up reports anyway." Oswin came to a stop by Tonks's side before turning his head to look in her direction. "Would I be right in guessing Lestrange is somehow involved in this matter?"
"As it happens, you would be. But not in the way you're thinking." Brown's gaze shifted from Oswin to Tonks and gave her a slight nod. "Could you fetch him in for us please Mrs Tonks." Nodding silently, Tonks rose from her seat and left the room swiftly while Brown summoned a mug and poured out Oswin a drink from the refreshments on his desk. "Here, it's going to be a long night."
"Thanks." Taking the mug from his boss, Oswin cradled it between his hands, drawing on the warmth from his cup to heat up his hands. "So what is going on then?" Oswin asked casually as he walked over the fire for additional warmth, giving Hermione a small smile as he lent against the mantle.
"I'll explain in a second when Mrs Tonks returns" The Head Warden said before turning to say something quietly to Kingsley. Thud. Bellatrix shifted in her seat uncomfortably as she watched Oswin and waited for her niece to return. 'Things are about to get very… Interesting.' She mused as she forced back a smirk.
Less than five minutes had passed before the door opened again behind her and the sound of feet being dragged along the floor followed. Thud. Bellatrix turned again in her seat to watch Tonks and another Auror drag an unconscious Gabriel in and lead him to the front of the room, dropping him into Tonks's former seat. "Gabriel?" Oswin asked with a puzzled expression as he looked at his colleague, who now had the pair of Auror's wands fixed on him.
Brown lent back in his seat and took a sip of his drink before sighing and shaking his head. "It would seem Mr Clark here has been leading a double life. Someone hired him to contact Mrs Lestrange and to get her to carry out a task."
Thud. Oswin briefly glanced at Bellatrix, glowering at her before meeting the Head Warden's gaze. "What sort of task?"
"To kill Miss Granger, Mr Harrington." It was the Minister who answered Oswin's question as he nodded his head in the girl's direction, giving her a sympathetic smile when he caught her eye.
"What!" Oswin almost dropped his hot mug in surprise; his eyes swept from Kingsley to Gabriel, staring hard at his colleague before looking back at his boss. "Is that what has happened tonight? Lestrange tried to kill her?"
"Actually, Mrs Lestrange chose to warn Miss Granger." Once again the Minister was the one to answer Oswin.
Bellatrix rolled her eyes at the shocked face Oswin pulled when he heard the Ministers answer. Thud. Her chair once again thudded against the floor when she moved to get more comfortable, which earned her a few annoyed looks for causing an interruption. "Oh for the love of Merlin!" Tonks snapped as she whirled on the spot. With a flick of her wrist, she casted a quick charm on Bellatrix's chair which nullified any further noises. Bellatrix bit her tongue as she fought back a clever comment, while she would have loved to wind up Tonks some more, she was rather more interested in seeing how events were about to unfold and instead just gave her highly irritated niece a sly smirk.
"Why?" Oswin asked once he had gotten over his apparent shock. "I mean, why did she decide to protect Miss Granger? I'm happy she did… But… Why? She must be up to something."
"She is seating right here you moron!" Bellatrix snapped in annoyance. 'I swear … If I have to sit through another barrage of why's… I'll kill someone!'
Kingsley turned his head to look at her with a calm look on his face. "Miss Lestrange, please." He said surprisingly softly to her before looking back up at Oswin, who Bellatrix noticed was starting to get slightly anxious. "Tonks here checked her memories and verified that she spoke the truth. We're just about to check Gabriel's and hopefully learn who is behind this."
"I… See… Good… That's good…" Oswin took a swift drink from his mug before walking along the fireplace, casually taking a step closer to the door. "Shall I get Gabriel's personnel file?"
"No need, I already have it." Brown said as he patted a folder on his desk before exchanging a glance between Tonks and Kingsley, both nodded discreetly while Oswin took another sip from his mug.
"Oh right good…" Oswin finished the contents of his cup and placed it on the mantle of the fireplace with a shaky hand as he stood by Hermione's chair.
Brown sighed and said something quietly to Kingsley that Bellatrix couldn't make out, but she could guess what was said as Tonks and the other Auror turned their attention to Oswin. "You worked with Mr Clark, Mr Harrington. Do you have any idea who might have put him up to this?" Kingsley asked seemingly innocently.
"I do, it was me." Oswin blurted out before he then quickly covered his mouth with one hand, his eyes grew as large as saucers and his eyebrows rose up high sharply, his eyes then darted to the mug he had drank out of and understanding must have dawned on him as his blue orbs grew cold and harsh.
His admission gave Tonks and her fellow Auror enough reason to turn their wands on him; but Oswin made his move first, his hand wrapped around Hermione's arm before she could move away and pulled her up to use her as a shield. Bellatrix hissed lowly as she struggled in her seat, powerless to do anything as events unfolded. 'I told them about him! Why did they let him get close to her!'
"Don't make things worse on yourself Mr Harrington, just drop your wand and let's talk about this." Kingsley said with a calm voice as he remained seated.
Oswin laughed as he pressed the tip of his wand hard into the girl's neck. "I don't think so; you put Veritaserum in my drink didn't you? Then you'll believe me when I say that if you don't drop your wands, I'll kill her." He spat out as he tightened his grip around Hermione, Tonks looked nervously at Kingsley who nodded slightly to her. Glaring darkly at the guard, Tonks dropped her wand along with her colleague. "Kick them over and don't ask me anything! Ask one question and she'll die!"
"You won't escape Mr Harrington, just calm down and let her go; I'll promise your cooperation will be taken into account." The Minister said as Tonks kicked her wand over.
Bellatrix watched as the wand bounce and rolled along the floor, too busy caught up in what he was doing; Oswin paid no heed to it as it came to a stop not far from her chair. "Let me worry about escaping Minister." Oswin retorted as he took a step slowly back, dragging Hermione along with him.
Looking back and forth between Oswin's back and Tonks's wand, Bellatrix slowly started rocking side to side on her now silent chair as she slowly gained momentum. Her actions caught the gaze of those at the head of the room; their eyes were filled with mixed emotions and concern as they caught on to what she had in mind but remained absolutely silent. Oswin seemed too had completely forgotten about her behind him, which she guessed was most likely because he didn't feel her to be a threat while bound and defenceless.
Something that continued to remain true, right up till the point her chair toppled over and crashed silently to the floor. Her body however didn't remain silent as it she hit the stone floor hard with a low thud which thankfully wasn't loud enough to draw Oswin's attention. Her head smacked against the floor and it took a measureable amount of restraint to not make a single sound as pain flooded throughout her head, the warm feel of blood trickled down her forehead from the head wound.
One of the chairs arms had broken off on impact, freeing up the use of her left hand. Gritting her teeth she quickly but silently pulled herself over to the wand before Oswin could decide to look back. Her slender digits wrapped around her niece's wand, slowly she raised her arm and pointed it at Oswin's back. 'Expelliarmus!' Her silent disarming charm sent Oswin's wand flying across the room. He spun on the spot in shock to see her pointing Tonks's wand directly at him, the girl caught on first and took advantage of his confusion by driving her elbow into Oswin's stomach.
Oswin's grip loosened enough from the unexpected attack to allow Hermione to pull herself free and move clearly away from the guard. Bellatrix's eyes followed her briefly before turning her attention back to a now fearful Oswin, out of the corner of her eye she saw Kingsley and Brown draw their wands while Tonks retrieved Oswin's wand. "So about that talk-" Oswin began to say but was stopped in his tracks when Bellatrix hit him with a full body-bind curse, causing him to fall back rigid to the floor.
Even after Oswin hit the floor, Bellatrix didn't relax her arm and instead pointed her niece's wand at its former owner when she saw Tonks aiming Oswin's wand at her.
"Bellatrix… Thank you." Hermione said softly from somewhere to her side, glancing over in the direction of the voice, she watched as the young witch slowly approached her. From the corner of her eye she continued to keep an eye on her niece, not lowering her wand or her guard even as Hermione lowered herself to her knees beside her. "You're hurt… Here… Give me the wand and let me clean you up." The girl asked gently as she held out an open hand.
Bellatrix blinked up in her in mild confusion, not knowing exactly how to react. On one hand she wanted to snap and shout at her for not only telling her what to do and acting so familiar with her, but for doing it in front of others too. But on the other hand, she felt slightly… Touched… And somewhat warm inside for the concern and care for her wellbeing that the girl was showing, in front of others, even in front of her niece. 'Stupid… Mudblood…' She thought as she slowly handed over the wand.
The girl smiled sweetly as she took it off her, a smile that didn't make her feel unpleasant inside. With a flick of the brunette's wrist, the girl freed her from the other restraint then helped her to sit up as Kingsley and Tonks moved closer towards her. "Well, I guess we owe you our gratitude again Mrs Lestrange." The Minister said as he came to a halt in front of her, the smallest hint of a smile graced his lips.
Bellatrix snorted and frowned up at the Minister as the girl started to clean her up. "Well that wouldn't have happened if you had believed me in the first place, ouch!" She snapped as she looked at Hermione, the girl muttered a quiet apology; her large soft brown eyes softened Bellatrix's hardened features. Twitching the corner of her mouth up into a smile, she watched the girl work for a moment, enjoying her soft and gentle warm touch before looking back up at Kingsley. Her small smile grew into a sly smirk when she saw the hurt and frustrated look on Tonks face as her hands shook at her sides.
"We listened, but we still had to give him a chance in case you were wrong. If you weren't involved though, what made you suspect Mr Harrington?" Kingsley asked with a hint of suspicion.
Bellatrix rolled her eyes and made a disrespectful noise, she didn't answer right away and instead looked at both the unconscious guards. "Gabriel was far too obvious, while Oswin… Was nice, too nice… Too soft… People like that don't choose to work in hell."
"Oh? And what kind of people do choose to work here then?" Brown spoke up from behind his desk at the other end of the room.
She looked past Kingsley and Tonks to meet the Head Warden's gaze, studying him for a few moments before she answered him. "Broken people… People who have suffered either directly or indirectly at the hands of… Scum." She blurted out bluntly in an insensitive tone of voice. "Those people come here with a secret agenda… A mission. A personal vendetta. A desire to see those imprisoned here, suffer." The Head Warden stared at her with narrowed eyes before he left her gaze.
Hermione's hand gently touched the side of Bellatrix's face and turned her to look directly at the brunette as the young witch pressed the tip against the gash on her forehead. Bellatrix felt the flow of blood seeping out stop and the pain lessen till it was no more than a mild irritation. "… Thank you." Bellatrix whispered lowly and gave the girl a genuine smile, and just for a moment, Bellatrix forgot everyone else in the room, all she could see was the girl as she smiled back
Hermione
Hermione sat nervously on one of the leather chairs in front of the Head Warden's desk as she waited for Kingsley to return. The Minister had left with Tonks to question both the guards in an interrogation room while Bellatrix had been taken to the resident mediwitch to get checked over, before most likely being returned to her cell.
'I wonder what happens now…' She thought as she began to fidget, she felt slightly uneasy at being left alone with Brown in the office due to the awkward tension that seemed to hang thick in the air. She couldn't put her finger on what was causing the heavy atmosphere in the room, but she knew it was something to do with Head Warden… And while she didn't believe she was in danger, the way he was seemingly avoiding her gaze and putting distance between them was starting to make her feel very uncomfortable.
Just as she gathered the courage to try and break the ice, Brown spoke first. "I'm sorry that this has happened Miss Granger." He said with his back to her as he drank from a small glass.
"It's ok; it's not your fault." Hermione said kindly as she stilled her hands and watched the man closely as he took another drink.
Brown turned slightly to look over his shoulder. "Isn't it? I hired him."
"He was a good liar, don't blame yourself for that." 'I don't, he fooled me too…' She added silently to herself. Oswin's deception still disheartened her; she thought she had matured enough over recent years to be a bit more suspicious of people and not so quick to trust people she had only just met. 'I was so preoccupied with Bellatrix that I didn't see the danger right in front of me… I wonder why he did it? What did I ever do to him?' She hoped that Kingsley would have at a couple answers for her by the time he was finished with Oswin.
"Even so… I shouldn't have taken a back seat in your care, I left you solely in his hands because… I couldn't face you. I couldn't face either one of you three." Brown went back to avoiding her gaze as he said that in a surprisingly hurt tone of voice, sighing loudly; he walked towards the liquor cabinet and pulled out a large bottle filled with a dark amber liquid. He popped the stopper as he poured out two glasses. 'Firewhiskey.' She mused as she caught a whiff of the strong alcoholic beverage which momentarily distracted her from her confusion.
Shaking her head and clearing her nose of the intoxicating smell, she blinked up at the old blonde haired man. "Huh? …Why?" Hermione asked, not even attempting to hide her confusion at the man's admission.
Brown fumbled with the two glasses as he looked right past her, as if he was locked in an internal struggle. "Because you three served as a big reminder to what I lost… Who I lost." The sadness in his tone was clearer this time, as was the sad look in his eyes when his gaze fell to her. "Mrs Lestrange was right about what she said about those that work here, or at least she was in my case. I took this job after I lost someone in the war… At Hogwarts no less."
The Head Warden walked over and handed her one of the glasses before taking his seat at the desk. Hermione stared down at the dark amber liquid, she very rarely touched the stuff and usually in very small doses as she found it went straight to her head, but she had a feeling she might want it after this. "I… I'm sorry… Who did you lose if you don't mind me asking?" She asked the older man softly, many people had died during the battle of Hogwarts, she had seen all the bodies lined up in the Great Hall not long after the fighting… And those are the ones that had been found right away, Merlin knows how many were uncovered over the days after the battle.
"I guess Brown is a fairly common family name, both in the muggle and wizarding world." He said with a slight smile before opening one of his desk draws and pulling out a photo frame which he slowly extended out to her.
Hermione hesitated for a moment before taking the photo and looking down at the people waving at her; she gasped sharply and almost dropped her glass when she recognized who was in the photo. "That's… Lavender… Oh god… You're Lavender's father? I am so sorry…" Hermione said quietly as she stared down at her former fellow housemate, the lively blonde wore a huge smile on her face as she hugged her father and kissed him on the cheek. 'Oh Lavender… I'm sorry…'
She looked up sombrely and slowly handed the photo back to Lavender's father as she fought back the tears. She had never been close to Lavender, but she still mourned the loss of the girl, despite what had gone on between them over Ron, Lavender had been a good person… She didn't deserve to die the way she did. "Yeah… When I heard I lost my little girl… I wanted nothing more than to get revenge. So when I heard this job was going, I snapped it up… Knowing her killer was here, knowing I could make his life hell." Brown stared down at the photo of his daughter, the briefest of smiles flickered onto his lips. He stroked the photo with a single finger as a tear fell and splattered softly on the frame. "I failed her… I failed to protect my little princess, the most I can do now is to make sure scum like Fenrir never get the chance to kill anyone else's loved ones… Anyone else's little girl…"
"I… I tried to save her… I blasted him off her but…" Hermione's voice died down as she found that she was unable to bring herself to say it out loud, she bit her bottom lip as tears slowly began to trickle down her cheek. 'When… If I get out… I guess this will be something I'll have to face, people who lost loved ones.'
"I know, I heard… I am truly grateful you tried." Lavender's father said with a small smile before taking one last look at the photo before putting it back in the draw. "She admired you, you know. I know she probably never showed it, especially during and after the incident with Mr Weasley." Hermione's mouth fell open as she stared at the older man. A strong sense of guilt filled the pit of her stomach as Mr Brown touched upon what had gone on during her sixth year. 'She lost the only person she had been with… Or ever would be with… To me… And I'm not even sure I want him, not in the way she wanted him… I mean… If I did, I wouldn't be so confused about Bellatrix…'
A timely chuckle from the Head Warden regained her attention before her mind was able to wonder about Bellatrix. "It's ok, no need to panic. I was young once, and I know how jealous and well, how much she could overact. She could be such a little madam at times…" The grieving father's eyes began to mist over as he took a large swig from his glass and looked over at the fireplace, the burning fire reflected deep in his eyes as stared at the flames. "But she was my little madam, my little princess… She didn't deserve to die like that…"
Hermione dropped her gaze from the man, feeling slightly awkward at the position she was in. She believed that Lavender's father could use some time alone to mourn in peace, but… She was still a prisoner… A VIP prisoner maybe but a prisoner nonetheless, she could hardly just up leave. So instead she picked up her glass and downed the dark amber liquid in two large gulps. Instantly she regretted the haste in which she drank the strong liquor as a fiery sensation quickly followed that engulfed her taste buds. The fiery liquid scorched her throat as it travelled down her, her stomach churned once the liquid filled it up, causing her to discreetly clutch at her gut. 'How can people drink that vile stuff?!' The burning sensation died down somewhat after a while, but she could still feel the lingering taste burning at the back of her throat.
She sat there feeling slightly lightheaded as she left the older man to his thoughts while she waited for Kingsley to return. Hermione had no idea how much time had passed when the door opened, looking back she saw the now brown haired Auror return alone. "He's all yours now." Tonks said as she walked over to Brown's desk, not once did she look at Hermione as she approached.
Brown nodded and put down his empty glass as he stood up; he retrieved a file from his desk and left without saying a word. Hermione watched him leave; she stared at the door after it closed behind him for a few seconds before she turned in her seat to look up at Tonks who was standing by the desk. The usually soft and warm Auror, who nearly always had a smile on her face and a bounce in her step… Stood with a stern posture, her face was hard and her eyes cold. The Auror hadn't said a word to her personally since her visit earlier in the day, where she had saw the love bites on her neck… And that was before she had dove into Bellatrix's mind. 'She knows… She must have seen everything…'
When Tonks had volunteered to be the one to search through Bellatrix's memories, Hermione felt her world come crashing down even further then she thought possible. She had been almost positive Tonks would see, what had taken place between her and Bellatrix when she dived into her aunt's mind, but she had hoped… That maybe Bellatrix could have kept it hidden. She had took a guess that Bellatrix would be as skilled in Occlumency as she was in Legilimency; logically assuming that as the Dark Lord's most faithful servant, who would have been privy to some of his secrets, must have been able to keep them hidden in her mind. But even the most skilled Occlumens would have found themselves hampered by the effects of incarceration, and judging by the way Tonks acted after, it was safe to assume that Tonks had overcome her. 'Unless… Unless Bellatrix showed her on purpose? Bellatrix was none too pleased with her kissing me… Showing her would have been the perfect way to get back at her niece...'
'She knows…' She thought again, even if Bellatrix did show her on purpose, it didn't change the fact that Tonks would now know. 'What do I say… What can I say?' She bit her lip as she felt her eyes begin to mist over once more, Tonks was one of her closest friends, if not her closest, she didn't know what she'd do if she lost that friendship and deep inside herself she could feel her heart breaking at the idea of losing her.
She gathered her courage and forced back the tears as she calmed herself before taking a deep breath. "Tonks… Are you ok?" Hermione asked, immediately feeling stupid afterwards. 'Ugh… Stupid question, of course she's not…' She thought with annoyance at herself.
Tonks, who had her gaze fixed on the wall, looked down at her slowly. "What do you think?" She asked back with a slight edge to her voice.
"I…" Hermione shut her mouth as she looked up at the Auror's emotionless eyes. 'I should… Just come clean…' She sighed and dropped her gaze to her feet. "I take it you saw…" But the words wouldn't come out, she didn't know how to say it without hurting Tonks anymore then she must already be hurting.
"Saw what exactly Granger?" The older witch asked lowly, the use of her surname drew a single tear from Hermione's eye. She quickly wiped it away and stifled any further tears, but she didn't answer Tonks, her tongue had tied itself in a knot and her throat constricted, making it suddenly very difficult to breath. "Oh do you mean did I see you and my aunt… Fucking?" Hermione flinched at the harsh tone Tonks used and merely nodded in reply as tears forced their way through her lashes. "Then yes, I saw… Crystal clear."
Hermione fought hard to stay in control of her own body and not to break down, she could hear just how just how hurt Tonks was. The Auror tried to mask the sorrow in her tone with her anger… But Hermione still picked up on it and as she stared up at the shaking woman, she could see her icy gaze slowly thawing and the onset of approaching tears. Hermione's heart shattered as she watched how fast Tonks was starting to break down, jumping to her feet Hermione reached out to comfort her ex-lover.
But Tonks threw off her hand and pushed her away. "Don't… Touch me…" She just about sobbed out.
"Tonks… Please…" Hermione tried to approach her again, but the look Tonks was giving her, stopped her dead in her tracks.
"No… Just… Don't…" Tonks muttered then wiped her tears away with the sleeve of her robe. "We're not doing this here… Not right now."
"Tonks please, we have to talk…" Hermione took a step closer as she pleaded.
"I said no!" The now orange haired Auror snapped loudly before turning her back on Hermione. "Kingsley should be along soon, he headed straight to Gringotts after we interrogated Oswin."
Hermione's eyes widened at the mention of the wizarding bank. 'He's gone to see the Goblins?' "Gringotts? He's gone to see the Goblins? Why what did Oswin say?" She asked in a hurried and impatient tone of voice.
Tonks looked over her shoulder at her then indicated to one of the chairs by the fireplace. Hermione watched Tonks for a moment, trying and failing to read the expression on the Auror's face, turning on her heels, Hermione headed over to the fireplace and took a seat with Tonks following and taking the one furthest from her. "As you guessed, Oswin was hired by the Goblins, or at least a Goblin. Although he never saw his face." Both witches simultaneously frowned at that before Tonks continued to tell Hermione what they had learnt. "It appears Oswin was secretly finically in debt to them, they paid of his debt and deposited a large sum of gold into his account with an even larger sum promised once you were dead."
"Wha… Money? He did it for money?" Hermione pulled a disgusted face at the comment before something clicked and she grew fearful. "There's…. There's a price on my head?"
The Auror's hardened and serious face grew slightly softer and sympatric before looking away and nodding. "It appears so… Kingsley has been keeping the pressure on them, trying to get you released. The Goblin's… Didn't want you ever going free and knew they couldn't keep you in here indefinitely. So they hired Oswin in the hope to kill you before they could be… Persuaded to let you go."
"And… What about Gabriel? Was Bellatrix right?" Hermione asked carefully, knowing that mentioning Bellatrix might cause an unneeded reaction from the young Auror right about now.
Tonks's jawline tightened as her hands dug into the arms of the chair before nodding once. "Yes. The Goblin's didn't want to risk being connected with your death at all. They would have been suspected of course, but that's it, as long as there no proof. That's why they wanted to use… Lestrange. No one would really think twice about Lestrange killing a muggleborn, because she's a psychotic evil bitch."
Tonks paused to look at her out of the corner of her eye, her eyes seemed to say 'Did you forget that?' before she looked back at the flames. "But she wasn't the only scapegoat Oswin used. In case things went wrong with her, Oswin used the Imperius Curse on Gabriel and used him to pass on messages to Lestrange and to do all the dirty work… His memory has been heavily altered and damaged with motives implanted. We would never have suspected Oswin initially and by the time we may have, he would have been long gone."
Hermione nodded and sighed softly as she joined Tonks in looking into the fireplace. Bellatrix had told her she had suspected that Gabriel was under the Imperius Curse, she had said that, that day after their… Sexual encounter in the bathroom, she had seen a familiar look in his eyes, one that she had saw often while in the Dark Lord's service, the look of someone fighting for control. Hermione had relayed that on to Tonks along with everything else, who in turn had past it onto Kingsley. But all that had meant was someone else was involved, the only thing that implicated Oswin was Bellatrix's gut feeling.
But being a convicted Death Eater, her view wasn't worth much, which was why the use of Veritaserum was implemented into the plan. If Oswin was involved and Gabriel had been caught, he would have fled soon after, before he could become a suspect. They couldn't arrest him on a Death Eater's word, but neither could they risk losing him, so it had been arranged that Brown would bring Oswin in with a vague message where he'd then be given a drink with the truth telling serum inside. From there, the Minister would ask an equally vague question that would either confirm Oswin's involvement or clear him of suspicion. 'Lucky it worked… Not sure how he would have reacted to being given Veritaserum if he was innocent.'
Hermione continued to think things over as the pair of them sat in silence for some time, every now and then they stole looks at each other and a few times Hermione almost attempted to talk to Tonks before holding her tongue at the last minute. 'She'll talk to me when she's ready… Oh won't that be a pleasant conversation… But it will be less than I deserve…' Deep down she welcomed a confrontation, because at least then she'd have an idea just how much their friendship was in ruins. Would it be salvageable? Would Tonks never want to see her again? The latter broke her heart all over again, but she wouldn't cry, she didn't feel she deserved the sympathy her tears might bring.
She was almost dropping off to sleep when the flames roared up in front of her, making her jump sleepily out of her chair. Kingsley stepped out from the fireplace; he dusted himself off before looking cheerfully at the two woman in front of him.
"Did it go well Kingsley?" Tonks stood up as she asked; using the softest tone Hermione had heard her use all night.
"Oh I'd say so." He beamed before walking over to Brown's desk and pouring himself a drink. "I spoke with Varnuk, the Chief Goblin of all the Goblin clans in Britain and Head Goblin at Gringotts. He's the one who's been perusing Miss Granger so heavily over what happened. I confronted him about the Goblin's involvement on your life Miss Granger, which of course he denied-"
"He denied it? Did he not see Oswin's memories?" Tonks interrupted looking annoyed.
"Oh I showed him and as expected he accused us of wizard trickery. It's clear he never intended the recent negations to result in Miss Granger's release." Kingsley smiled at the two woman, confusing Hermione as to what Kingsley had meant by 'going well' when clearly it sounded otherwise, but held her tongue and waited for Kingsley to explain some more. "Desperate times call for desperate measures. It is one thing to allow this imprisonment to go on with the hope of freedom on the horizon, but it's another matter entirely to know they want Miss Granger killed. So I told him, the wizarding community would not stand idly by with the knowledge that one as one of our saviour's life was in danger, and that we'd fight, we may not be at full strength, but we would take them down with us."
Hermione's jaw dropped open as she stared blankly at the Minister, not far from her Tonks was mimicking her expression. 'Surely he's not… Talking about war? All over me?' Before she could squeak out a protest, Kingsley chuckled softly as he took a drink. "Don't look so worried, like I said it went well. He didn't call my bluff and instead we reached a compromise. He made it very clear that this isn't over but in the meantime… As from now, you are a free woman again Miss Granger."
A/N: Hope you all enjoyed Ch12 :), who was expecting that then? :D A few readers have asked me about Blackcest, so I'm curious to how other readers feel about Blackest as a side pairing? I won't say who might be involved, but it won't be Bellatrix :) Anyway, stay tuned and I'll update soon :) x
Goth Albino Angel: Well you can safely assume Hermione will be finding out soon why Harry and Ron haven't seen her, now she's free ;) Poor poor Tonks, Hermione will definitely be having a hard chat ahead of her.
alex1966: You was right to assume Oswin was far too nice :P deep down he turned out to be an evil bastard.
LoveSKINS94: Haha well maybe Hermione will slap them for you now she's free :p
DrunknMunky85: Ah well that depends who dumped who :P If Hermione ended it with Tonks then maybe she always wanted to run back. Lol sorry guess you was wrong about Gabriel ;)…
Rose Russo: Sorry :( hope I didn't make you feel worse for Tonks with this. Looks like you was right after all ;D tricked you lol.
LauraFlowi: Poor Tonks lol Bella didn't stop her cruelty in this chapter ;) Yep, all that can come of all these feelings is trouble. Hermione will make it her mission to find out why the boys didn't come :o
MunkyTerror: Aww Tonks is lovely ;) lol, yeah it does make sense, you was right too about him :D Bit mean of the boys I know lol.
Chelle: Thank you :)
SwordDraconis113: Thank you :D I'm glad you like it and I hope you continue to do so.
Greyella: How can you hate Tonks? xD She's lovely :p but when pit against Bellatrix ;) can see why Bellatrix will always be favoured lol
Tribute Junky: I'm glad you found you enjoyed it :) hope you continue to enjoy it.
And thank you to everyone else who's reviewed, followed and added to their favourites ^^