Bellatrix sat on the floor near the fire in the Slytherin common room. She regretted walking out of the hospital wing, she should have stayed. She sighed what was Hermione doing to her? Why did she feel the need to be around her so much?
Narcissa walked down the stairs to the common room the find her sister by the fire, "Hi Bella." She greeted her.
"Hi." She greeted her blonde sister, who sat down next to her.
"What's up?" She asked with concern.
"Nothing, Cissa – I'm fine."
"Bella, you can't lie to me." Bella didn't say anything; her younger sister had always seen straight through her, "You have that look in your eyes, again." Narcissa told her.
"What look?"
"The same look when you met Lucy. You look almost happy again." A pang of pain surged through Bellatrix at the mention of Lucy. Lucy was Bella's girlfriend who had died a year ago.
"I miss her." Bella admitted.
"Or course you do, it would be a little worrying if you didn't."
"You know not last night but the night before was our one year anniversary – it was also the night she died."
Cissy nodded, "I know."
"I can't believe it's been a year since she died." She sighed as she took a swig of her fire whisky.
Narcissa took the drink out of her sisters hand, "It's late, Bella, go to bed."
Bella nodded, it was 3 am, "Night sis." She said as she walked upstairs.
Bella didn't get any sleep, she simply tossed and turned, eventually her thoughts led to that one witch that had not left her mind in days - chewed over what Narcissa had said, 'you have that look in your eyes, again' - she was saying that she was falling for someone, again. Her little sister had always been able to tell what was going on inside Bella's head, and she was rarely wrong about what she saw in her sister. On one level, Bellatrix did not want to admit Narcissa was right, about having 'that look in her eyes', but on another level she acknowledged just how right she was.
The next morning Hermione bounded out of the bed, she was glad to be getting out of the hospital wing. Despite the fact that it was 5 am and the rest of Hogwarts was sleeping, Madame Pomfrey let her go. Hermione liked walking the halls when everyone was sleeping - it was peaceful.
As she round a corner she collided with someone, "Hey watch where-" the person looked up, "Hermione?"
"Bellatrix?"
"What are you doing up this early?"
"I was eager to get out of the hospital wing. You?"
"Getting breakfast."
"At 5 am?" She frowned, "Where are you going to get breakfast from at 5 am?"
"The kitchen… Do you, uh – want to come?"
Hermione was surprised, to say the least, at Bella's offer, "Sure, why not." She said, following her.
"Do you always get up this early?" Hermione asked her.
"Nah, I'm normally a late riser – I just didn't go to bed last night."
"You stayed up all night?"
Bellatrix nodded, "The tea party was wild." She joked. Hermione laughed, "Yep, it was just me and a bottle of fire whiskey." Said Bella, "Are you always up this early?"
"Yeah, actually – I love the mornings."
Bella chuckled with amusement, "Mornings are the worst part of the day." She said as she tickled the pear on a painting. The painting swung open to reveal the Hogwarts kitchen. It was huge and empty.
"Why do you hate mornings?"
"Because it bring a new day."
"So what, you stay up all night hoping the morning will just never come?"
"That's normally the plan – it's never worked though." Bella said; her lips turned up into a small smile. She made her way over to the pantry; it was more like a bedroom, though. She pulled out a tin of canned fruit, a fork and sat on the bench eating it, "You eating anything?"
Hermione shrugged – she felt bad stealing food from the kitchen. She sat up on the bench next to Bella who waved the tinned fruit in front of Hermione, offering her some. Hermione peered inside – peaches, she did like peaches. She took the fork from Bellatrix's hand and picked up a peach, "Thanks." She said, putting it in her mouth and handing it back. Both witches sat cross legged, facing each other on the bench eating out of the same tin.
"Do you always come in here?" Hermione asked.
"Never usually in the morning, I'm normally sleeping. I mainly come in at night."
They sat in silence for a while, "Have you got plans for today?" Hermione asked.
"Homework probably and I'll practice my Quidditch techniques – hey you should come along, you seem good at Quidditch." She smirked.
"Oh, ha, ha, ha." Hermione said sarcastically, "You're so funny."
Bella laughed a little. Hermione realized that she was letting her shield down a little – laughing and smiling. She realized she was nothing like her future self. She wondered how she turned into her future self.
"How about you?" She asked, "Got plans?"
Hermione shook her head, "I've finished all my homework."
The girls finished up their fruit, "We should get going before someone comes in. Hermione said getting off the bench.
"I'll see you around." Bellatrix told her as they stepped outside the kitchen.
"Maybe I'll come down to the Quidditch pitch later." Hermione said; half serious, half joking.
"You sure could use the practice." Bella smirked; she jerked her chin up to say goodbye.
As she walked away Hermione noticed the way her hips swayed slightly as she walked.