Hello everyone, to celebrate me finishing my second year of university, I am posting a double helping of chapters for you to sink your teeth into, so remember enjoy and review!

"Our top story tonight, the Minister of Magic, Kingsley Shacklebolt has today officially announced an end to the Second Wizarding War. This announcement came merely hours after it was revealed that Hogwarts had become under siege by a variety of dark creatures. It has been revealed that had it not been for the help of the organisations known as the Order of the Phoenix, Dumbledore's Army and the Death Eaters, the death toll would have been far greater than what it was. Full coverage of this story to follow. In other news, the Muggle Prime Minister recently announced…"

Hermione turned off he radio, she never liked that announcer, but more importantly she didn't like being reminded of that day; even though it had only been three days ago. She was now standing in her bedroom in Black Manor, formerly Lestrange Manor.

"Miney, what did you do with the shampoo?" Bella called out from the shower, causing Hermione to jump slightly in shock; she had tuned out everything else while she listened to the radio.

"Oh, erm… I think it's in the cupboard, top shelf," she replied quickly. She would have loved for Bella to stay in the shower indefinitely, so she didn't have to face the court hearing tomorrow. The conversation with Kingsley was less than comforting, as he had practically said that she had to face judgement from her peers after everything that had transpired, as would Tom, as would the Malfoys. Bella, even in her weakened state was less than impressed with his remarks; and thankfully, was spared further by Hermione's intervention. She had something else to talk about…

3 days previously…

"Bella, please, leave it alone for now." Hermione was practically dragging her lover through the ruins of Hogwarts to get her away from Kingsley. In all fairness, he should have been more considerate, given what had transpired over the last few weeks.

"I'm just concerned that the Wizarding World will not take too lightly to a bunch of convicted killers being let out into the world. It's just a matter of safety…" Kingsley had told them, only to get an earful from Bella.

"That slimy bastard!" she ranted; "after all we have done for him and he wants to keep us off the streets!"

"Bella, you need to calm down!" Hermione said sternly, like a mother scalding a misbehaving child. "For the moment, perhaps it is wise to remain low-key, after all, many of the students were, quite frankly, scared shitless when you and the other Death Eaters arrived."

Bella chuckled at the vulgarity of Hermione's words, and appeared to calm down enough so that it appeared she wasn't about to destroy the nearest painting. "Alright, alright. I'll lay low for a while, see how that ass Shacklebolt handles things. Also, where are you leading me?" They had reached the gargoyle guarding the Headmaster's Office, who at this present moment appeared to be asleep.

"You'll see," Hermione replied, before speaking to the gargoyle. "Are the others in there?"

The gargoyle merely nodded its head and moved aside so that Hermione and Bellatrix could climb the stairs. Once they reached the top, they opened the door to find Tom, Ginny and McGonagall all waiting for them.

"Alright Miss Granger, out with it, why have you brought us up here?" McGonagall asked her as Hermione led Bella into the room.

"A couple of reasons, primarily privacy," she replied, locking the door behind them. "Another is that we need to discuss some magical artefacts." She pulled out her enchanted purse, and withdrew the sword, and the Hallows, before placing them on a nearby table. "This Sword is property of the goblins, correct? I think it would be wise to return it to them now; I see no reason for me to keep it."

"I agree," Tom replied. "Now that the war is over, there should be no need to use it, and I'm pretty sure the goblins would appreciate it."

The gaze of the room now fell to the Hallows. "What about the Hallows?" Ginny asked.

"Harry told me to distribute them, and to make sure they were not all possessed by one person alone." Hermione picked up the wand and handed it to Tom. "I think that Tom should inherit the Elder Wand, because if he can tame its power, he can break its curse."

"A logical choice, Miss Granger, as long as he doesn't use it to trigger another war." McGonagall replied worriedly.

"Now don't worry about that, I'm pretty sure he won't want to start that all over again, right Tom?" Bella teased.

"As for the Stone, I was hoping it could be installed here in the office, so that headmasters can consult the spirits of their predecessors for advice and guidance;" Hermione continued, handing the Resurrection Stone to McGonagall. She then picked up the Cloak and handed it to Ginny. "As for the Cloak of Invisibility, I think Ginny should have it, since she and Harry were so close, it only seems fair."

Ginny was so close to tears that she ran over and hugged her friend, the cloak in between them. "I'm gonna miss him so much Hermione!" she sobbed.

"I know Gin, I know…"

Hermione was snapped back to reality by the shower door opening and Bella stepping out, the white cotton towels curving beautifully around her body. Her nineteen year old body, even when shielded by a towel, was still a glorious sight; she was roughly 5 foot 6 inches in her youth, slightly smaller than before, yet her face held a youthful yet aged look to it. As she proceeded to begin drying herself, she noticed Hermione gazing idly at her, and a devious thought crossed her mind…

"Miney, could you help me dry my hair," she asked, waking her lover up from her stupor; "I'm really not used to drying this amount of hair."

Hermione got up and started to apply a Heating Charm whilst brushing her luscious head of ebony hair. As she did so, she absentmindedly started to stroke Bella's hair gently, seeming to take extra care with it not to make it any less than perfect. Bella noticed this, and removed her towel to dry the remainder of her body, revealing her perfectly shaped teenage rear to Hermione in the process.

"Bella, do you want me to help you here too," she asked, her hand tracing its way down Bella's spine to the top of her butt. "It seems that you missed over here," she now lightly spanked her left cheek, "as well as here," now doing the same to the right, "and I would hate for you to have to walk around with a wet butt."

Bella's plan did indeed seem to be working, because she then dropped the towel on the floor, and bent over to pick it up, intending to provoke a reaction from Hermione. "Like what you see, Miney?" she asked seductively as Hermione's hands rested on her rear end.

"Oh yes, Bella honey, I absolutely adore your cute ass." Hermione started to stroke the places where she had spanked Bella, before gently kissing them, like a mother would 'kiss a wound better'.

"You know, my mouth is over here," she replied to her lover's attention, finally getting the prized response. Hermione walked around to face Bella's front and tenderly cupped her face in her hand. "That's better," she added, before engaging in a kiss; which to anyone else would more than likely have been described as a full-on snog-fest.

Hermione broke the kiss, and led her lover to the bedside, where the two lay down and started to caress each other's bodies. "Are you ready for the trial, honey?" she asked whilst gently fondling Bella's breasts.

"After the last trial I attended, I really wanted to show that I could change, and hopefully they will see that I have;" she replied, strangely sombre and out of character for her. "We have been together for about 3 months, right?" she asked, "is that really long enough to know a person?"

"Bella, I know you, better than most other people; you may have been a killer at one point, but now you have a new chance at life, a new beginning." Hermione pulled Bella in for another kiss. "Besides, I will be with you every step of the way, I promise."

At that moment, Claire entered the room, limping slightly from hurting her ankle the week before in the explosion. "How are you both doing today?" she asked, leaning against the wall to ease the pain.

"We're alright, Claire. How are you feeling?" Bella replied, sitting up on the bed and addressing the house elf.

"It still hurts, but I'm grateful for you rescuing me from the rubble;" she replied, gazing lovingly at her mistresses nude form. "Not many wizards and witches would care for a house elf like you have. Thank you." She tried to curtsey, but her ankle gave out, and had Hermione not levitated her towards the bed, she would have fell flat on her face.

"You don't need to be so formal, Claire," Hermione stated softly, her hand caressing the bruised foot before a light blue light glowed around her hand. "This should help ease the pain a little; just try to stay off it as much as possible." She passed her to Bella, who sat her on her lap like a small child.

"I think that the trial is going to go very well, for both of my loving friends," Claire said, her large eyes welling up with tears as she turned and hugged Bella's midriff, her head resting on her breasts. The three of them simply sat on the bed, embracing each other, as a family should.

Hermione and Bella walked down to the Ministry courtroom, in a pair of smart yet simple dresses, given the formality of the situation. Bella had her black hair flowing across her shoulders, while Hermione's was arranged in a single, long ponytail, reaching to between her shoulder blades. She had also decided to wear the red choker that Bella had gotten her, hidden slightly by her jacket. A Ministry official led them inside, where they saw many of their allies sat in a partition on one side of the courtroom, facing the Wizengamot, the wizarding council. Among the younger faces in the room, Hermione could see many of the Weasley family, as well as Draco Malfoy, members of the DA, and other students that had fought in the Battle of Hogwarts. Also, Bella could see many of the Dark Wizards she had known over the last 15 years.

As the pair took their seats, Kingsley stood and addressed the room, which unusually for a Ministry trial also contained members of the wizarding community, many of whom had looks of disgust on their faces. "Let it be written that this trial commenced at 2:05pm on this date." He glanced over to the stenographer, who was feverishly writing dawn all that was said during the trial. "We are gathered today to decide the fate of many of the wizards and witches who have been previously accused of utilising Dark Magic and causing chaos in this country for the past 20 years. Many of you in the public are aware that Hogwarts was attacked 3 days ago, and we will find out from personal accounts what actually happened that day."

The Undersecretary then stood up, with a long roll of parchment, contained on it a list of everyone who would be tried that day. The list included Bellatrix, as well as Tom, Lucius, and many of the students. As the names started to be reeled off and the defendants stepped forward to be interrogated, Hermione watched as Bella got more and more nervous. Draco, whom she had sat next to, held her hand tightly to try to calm her down.

"Bellatrix Lestrange," the Undersecretary announced. It had taken a good ninety minutes to get to Bellatrix, so naturally she was fidgety as she made her way to the centre of the court. She looked around at the members of the wizarding public and the council alike, all of whom were wondering who the young woman was.

Kingsley got up to begin questioning her. "State your name for the record please."

"Bellatrix Black," she replied. "I do not want to be called Lestrange anymore, if that is alright with the court," she added, amongst the murmurs from the onlookers.

"Can you inform the court of the events that resulted in your 'radical' change of appearance?" Kingsley asked. It didn't take a Legilimens to know that he already knew the answer; he was just clarifying for the rest of the congregation.

"During the Battle of Hogwarts, I was severely injured by an enemy, I don't recall which one. A magical artefact, the Elder Wand, was able to heal me, however due to the magical nature of the injury a complex and rarely used charm had to be used. Essentially, it reverted my physical body to that of my nineteen year old self."

As Hermione watched, she realised that Bella was lying to protect her, changing certain events to provide anonymity.

"You wished to be called Black rather than Lestrange," one of the older council wizards spoke this time; "Is this due to guilt over killing your cousin, Sirius Black?"

Many of the public started to murmur, but Bellatrix kept her cool. Just.

"Sirius was my cousin, yes. I regret my actions that day, I wish it had never happened; I wish I could bring him back, tell him I was sorry, but I can't. It wasn't guilt, sir. It was love."

"You don't even know what love is!" shouted a member of the public, whilst being restrained by others in the row. "You're a killer, and should be locked in jail for your crimes, as well as all of the others over there. You endangered our children!"

"Order!" Kingsley yelled as stewards proceeded to drag the woman out of the courtroom.

"I was a killer…" Bella said, her voice resonating with anger, something Hermione was very quick to pick up on. "I killed because I thought it was right. I thought that blood purity was something I had to enforce. 17 years ago, I ended up in Azkaban because of that view. I was wrong."

Many of the wizards stood speechless. More were whispering to each other. Hermione was simply amazed. Admitting she was wrong was something Hermione rarely saw Bella do.

The Undersecretary stood, and asked for silence. "You admit that you have killed people in the past. Why should we believe that you won't revert to killing again? If I'm not mistaken, you used to kill people for fun, what says you won't again?"

Bella lowered her head; in truth, she had no answer. There was no way she could convince them all that she was not dangerous anymore, her track record saw to that. Even if they did believe that she was being truthful, they would still say that the general public distrusts her, and lock her up anyway.

"I guess all I can say is, you need to trust that I will reform, that I have reformed." She looked around at the congregation, and was met with a variety of looks, some of disgust, some of admiration. "All of you see me here, at the end of a war, the start of peace. Let me have a fresh start, a way to right my wrongs. I can't do that if I'm I Azkaban."

The Wizengamot members talked amongst themselves for a lengthy period of time, all the while Bella was still sat in the middle of the court, under the watchful eyes of the public. "Bella, you're doing great, just stay calm for a little while longer," Hermione said via Legilimency, reassuring her that it would all be over soon.

"I hope so, it is so hard to be calm with everybody hating you for what you did in the past. I hope the council sees sense." Bella mentally replied.

The Undersecretary stood once more, and spoke to everyone rather than just Bella. "It is of the Minister's belief that in this time of peace, people should be given a second chance, a fresh start so to speak. However, we do not feel that it is the right time to let you free; herego Bellatrix Black is hereby sentenced to spend the remainder of her original sentence in Azkaban, until such time as the Ministry deems you ready to re-enter society." Bellatrix's heart sank; she really thought they would let her be a free woman, instead she would remain in that dark prison for 10 more years. She couldn't bear being without Hermione for that long, but she also didn't want to give the Undersecretary any more reason to send her away any faster, so she simply hung her head and waited for the inevitable.

"No!" Hermione shouted, everybody's gaze turning to see her. "Kingsley, there must be another way to deal with this…"

"Guards, remove this schoolgirl from the courtroom, how dare she address the Minister so informally…" the Undersecretary shouted over her, the guards swarming over her.

"Stop!" commanded Kingsley, amidst the chaotic atmosphere his voice still bode a sense of authority, and he really wanted to avoid a confrontation, especially in a trial. "Miss Granger, a private word," he beckoned for her to enter the Minister's quarters behind the courtroom.

"But, Minister…" The Undersecretary started, before getting a stern glare from Kingsley that stopped her dead in her tracks. She receded back to her chair, scowling at Bellatrix and Hermione.

"I hope you have a plan, babe…" Bellatrix said.

"So do I, Bella;" Hermione replied.

Kingsley closed the door as Hermione entered the rather spacious quarters; it was fairly empty, containing only a wooden desk, a handful of chairs and a fireplace. "Why the sudden outburst, Hermione? You know as well as I do that Bellatrix is not safe in the outside world, you saw how that woman reacted earlier, she would be killed by someone if she isn't under observation."

"Kingsley, she won't survive another 10 years in Azkaban, she has already spent one lifetime there, please don't let her waste another one;" Hermione pleaded, her eyes welling up.

"What would you suggest?"