First off, I am SO SO SO sorry for the massive delay. I started school and have two other jobs. It's been awful lately. But here I am! I'm actually writing to procrastinate a paper… Then again, I'm being sort of conventional, right?

I hope you guys haven't given up! And please R&R. I love your reviews. They give me motivation!

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Chapter Five

Hermione woke to Bellatrix hovering over her, staring at her. She yelped and sat up, nearly bumping heads with the witch.

"May I help you?" Hermione pulled the sheets up to cover up, but realized she was completely dressed. Bellatrix smirked.

"Good. You're awake." Bellatrix turned her back to the girl and began walking from the room, her index finger beckoning Hermione to follow. The younger witch huffed, threw her sheets off and followed Bella into the hall. She hated leaving the bed unmade, but she figured Bella would lose her patience if she stalled.

"Where are we going?"

"You don't look clean," Bellatrix said, turning to face Hermione. Her black eyes studied the girl, her red lips pulled into a frown. "What did I tell you last night?"

"I haven't had time to wash up. I was startled awake." Hermione folded her arms across her chest, matching Bellatrix's frown. Bella sneered and grabbed her chin, yanking her head up.

"And whose fault is that, little witch, hmm?" She arched a perfect brow. "We do not waste time here in the mornings. Much to do, little time. Understand?"

"Yes, Bellatrix." Hermione clenched her teeth.

"Did I give you permission to use my name, girl?"

"No."

"No what?"

"Mistress."

"Good girl." She patted Hermione's cheek, almost hard enough to be a slap. "Now. I need you, girlie, to just sit very still for me," she said, walking down the hall, dragging Hermione with her by the shirt. They rounded the corner and entered a plain, but well-furnished room. Hermione figured it was meant to be one of many sitting rooms. Bellatrix slammed the door behind them and turned to the girl.

"I need you to sit very still for me," she repeated. "And tell me all of your little, silly secrets."

"Why would I do that?" Hermione remained standing, although she inched away from the woman.

"Because either way, I'll pry them out of you. It's just a means of how much pain you'll be in for the duration. And your mental state afterwards." She slicked a tuft of curls over her shoulder and hitched up her skirt for her wand, which was secured in a garter. Hermione couldn't help but stare and looked away once she saw Bella had noticed. A large smirk crossed her lips and she sauntered forward. Hermione inched back and fell into an armchair.

"Please don't…"

"Oh, the little mudbaby remembered her manors. Too bad you're not the one calling the shots." Bella twirled her wand in her fingers, watching Hermione debate. "Hurry up, Granger. I don't have all day. Now, spill it or I'll tear through your mind like a quill through brittle, aged parchment. I can torture it out of you, if you throw any barriers in there."

"I can't," Hermione whispered. Tears began to roll down her cheeks, causing Bella to roll her eyes and flick her wand, entering Hermione's mind. At first, she had to hurl over frantic walls thrown up, but Hermione gave up quickly after realizing her attempt was no match for the mastered witch.

All she could do was watch as Bellatrix filed through memories of her muggle school, learning of her magic abilities, buying her wand… She flickered through snapshots of Hermione's early years at Hogwarts. How she was first bullied by that Weasely boy. She saw Hermione petrified and cackled to herself. Then fast-forwarded to how she and Harry had saved Sirius. She snorted. The next memory was of Hermione preparing for the Yule Ball with the Weasely girl. There, Bella stopped. Instead of the bushy-haired bookworm, she saw an elegant young woman smirking in the mirror. Bellatrix stood behind Hermione in the memory, eyeing the girl's forming cleavage. She hissed remembering her mission and continued her search.

Ah, she thought. Here it is. She found their first Order meeting.

Then the Department of Mysteries.

Finally, she found the memory of them learning of the Horcruxes. Aha! This proves useful after all, she cackled and left the girl's head.

"Thank you, pet. My pretty pet…" She circled a sniffling Hermione and stopped just behind her, placing her hands on her shoulders. "You are useful in more than one way…"

###

Hermione was back in her room after that session. Bellatrix had left her to inform her Lord what she had found. Alone in her room, she rested her head on the window, looking out, but not really seeing anything. She thought about what would come of Harry and Ronald now that Voldemort knew how much they know.

Why couldn't I have been stronger? Because she would've found out eventually, Hermione. She wouldn't have stopped. She looked through everything until she got to the good parts. But… Why did she halt at the Yule Ball memory? She sat up, hugging her knees, more alert. Did she think… No. She hates you. You're nothing to her.

But she didn't believe that. She thought about Bellatrix's look as she watched Hermione finish getting ready. She'd seen Lavender Brown give Ronald that look. But she shook her head, not wanting to get her twisted hopes up. Instead, she sighed and tried distracting herself with going through the motions of spells. Although she was a captive, she couldn't let herself forget anything important. And now that she'd grown used to magic, she didn't want to lose anything she'd learned. Once she got out, she would remember how to fight.

If.