Hello all, it has been a while, sorry for the wait, but there has been a lot of things to deal with over the last six months, both with my future, and with my present. Just to let you know, I graduate in a few weeks time, while I start my Master's course in September. I intend to finish this story by then, although I am not giving a specific date.
I hope you all have a good summer, and enjoy the continuation of this story.
As the last day of term approached, Hermione was more excited than ever. Not just because she was about to meet her parents again, but that her baby bump was now visible to the trained eye, and noticeable to the untrained. She was now almost 8 months pregnant, and it was starting to mess with her emotions, but thanks to the help of Madam Pomfrey and McGonagall, she was able to keep them in check.
As the students hurried to the Hogsmede station to board the train home to see their families, Hermione waited patiently at the castle. She and Bella had agreed to let the others go home before they set off, their plan being to travel from a nearby Scottish airport to minimise Hermione's travelling. McGonagall had been more than happy to aid them in this endeavour, knowing the reasons she had taken the liberty of buying plane tickets for them, as well as exchanging some gold for Muggle cash at Gringotts. As Bella walked towards the castle, with suitcase in tow, Hermione came to meet her with open arms; and an entourage.
"How are you feeling, Bellatrix?" McGonagall asked as the pair of young lovers embraced one another.
"Much better, thank you;" she replied, after escaping from a lengthy oral duel with Hermione. Truth be told, she had never looked, nor felt better than she did now. The pair let go and Hermione picked up her bags.
"You ready, Bella?" she asked her lover, who immediately nodded her head in agreement.
"Enjoy your trip, you two," Tom said as the two left for the airport. The plan was to get there by train, so using the Muggle money, which of course Bella knew nothing about; the two were able to buy tickets and were soon on their way. The train was quiet today, only a few passengers on it, so Hermione spent the journey explaining the currency to her. Bella was fascinated, throughout her entire life she had been raised that Muggle business was none of her concern. She had skipped Muggle Studies during her education, and in fact knew very little about how the Muggle world operated. Hermione had a lot of time to explain it though.
After the hour long train ride, the pair reached the airport. Finding out that they were two hours early for their flight, and that it was now 8pm, Hermione decided they should get some dinner. So after checking in their luggage, the pair headed for a small diner in the shopping centre. The waitress at first didn't want to serve 'a couple of lesbians', but after a stern dressing down from her supervisor, as well as Bella offhandedly mentioning that they were going on a trip as friends, she agreed to serve them. As with the train, the diner was very quiet, save for the 80-year old couple sitting next to the counter. Bella was giddy with excitement, and wanted to eat as fast as she could to get on the plane; however Hermione noted that if she did, she would probably be ill on the plane.
Bella relented and began eating at a slower pace. Hermione kept up the illusion that they were merely good friends by making small jokes to amuse each other while they ate. Finally, the announcement was made that their plane was now ready for boarding, so the two paid their bill and headed toward the plane.
"Which seats are ours again?" Bella muttered as she searched the ticket for a seat number.
"30A and 30B," Hermione pointed out, indicating the bold printed number in the left corner of the tickets. The two shared a giggle as they sat down, and Hermione quietly told her everything she knew about planes. Bella was beyond fascinated, so when the safety demonstration occurred, she listened intently to what the stewardess had to say. To any observers, it would look like a 19-20 year old teen on her first ever holiday abroad. Needless to say, Bella was a plane virgin, much to the amusement of Hermione. The plane journey was to take 18 hours total flight time, with a one day stopover in Hong Kong before continuing to Sydney. Bella tried to watch the TV shows, something Hermione had also shown her as part of her 'Muggle Education', however eventually Bella got tired and fell asleep, Hermione soon following suit.
The pair was woken up a few hours later by the plane's PA, telling them that they would be landing in Hong Kong shortly. Hermione told Bella a brief synopsis abut Hong Kong and that it was one of the places she had always wanted to visit. Bella agreed, saying that she loved Chinese food, and would have loved to go to an authentic Chinese restaurant. As the plane landed, the jolt from the landing made Bella jump, she certainly didn't expect it, and Hermione hadn't told her. Needless to say, when Hermione looked at her friend, she saw her white as a sheet, and gripping tightly to the armrests. After the obligatory giggle at Bella's expense, Hermione helped her up and the two got their bags and headed for the exit. As the early morning sun greeted the pair as they stepped off the plane and headed toward the shuttle bus, Hermione took in the sight of a new city, one she had never been to and desperately wanted to explore.
"Come on, Bella! Let's get our things and start exploring!" she said, giddy with excitement like a child in a candy store. Bella meanwhile was being more level headed about everything.
"Hun, you need to calm down." She placed her hand on Hermione's shoulder, gently calming her. "We need to find out when the plane leaves for Sydney."
The two headed for the baggage collection, taking their suitcases and heading towards the storage department. As the clerk explained the situation to Bella, Hermione's head started swimming, and she staggered over to an empty bench.
"I'm sorry, miss; but is your friend alright?" the clerk asked Bella. She turned round and saw Hermione, pale and shaky with her head in her hands.
"Can you get me a bottle of water, quickly!" she said to the clerk, who raced off to a vendor, while Bella headed to Hermione's side. She was checking everything: pulse, temperature; she even instinctively checked on her stomach, to see if the baby was alright. As the clerk and a first aider rushed over, Bella kept tight hold of Hermione's hand.
"… She will need to try and get some rest today, Miss Black…"
"Will she be able to fly out to Sydney tonight?"
"If her condition doesn't improve, I may need to ground her on medical reasons and have her transferred to Hong Kong General hospital."
Hermione slowly woke up, and even though her vision was hazy, she could make out Bella talking to a nurse. She could hear plane engines in the background, telling her that she was still at the airport.
"Hey Hermione," Bella said as she sat down next to the bed, while the nurse politely excused herself from the room. "How do you feel?"
Hermione tried to sit upright, and with some aid from Bella, soon got comfortable. "I'm still a bit shaky, but otherwise alright. What happened?"
"You blacked out, near to the storeroom," Bella informed her. "The nurse says she may need to keep you here in case it has something to do with your pregnancy."
"What time does the plane take off?" she asked, taking a sip of water to ease her thirst.
"Midnight, scheduled to arrive in Sydney around 8am local time." Bella headed around to the curtains and crossed them, making sure the door was securely locked for good measure.
She started concentrating, a faint yellow glow emanating from her palms, which then slowly made its way towards Hermione. After it was complete, Hermione started to feel a whole lot better. "Why did you use magic, do you realise you could get us both in trouble?" she whispered, so as not to allow any eavesdroppers to hear.
"To be honest, I don't want to leave you here, and you deserve to find your parents." She helped Hermione out of the bed. Hermione actually felt much better now; she could see clearly, and she didn't feel dizzy in the slightest.
"What spell did you just use?" she asked.
"It is a spell I would use back in my own school days, when I would feel ill I would use that spell to remove the effects of whatever was causing me discomfort, at least for a while." She opened the door and the two walked out, telling the nurse that Hermione felt much better and that they were going to do some sightseeing for the remainder of the afternoon.
The sightseeing in question was the pair walking around Hong Kong checking out various English speaking shopkeepers and vendors in one of the many bazaars in Hong Kong, until they found a charm stall. The vendor said that the charms would bring fortune and luck for those who carried them. Reading the English translations of several charms, the pair decided on purchasing a trio of charms: Hope, Love, and Fortune. The vendor told them that the charms were enchanted by a mystic, and that they would bring benefits for years to come. On a normal day, a passing tourist would scoff at the idea of magic; however the look in the two women's eyes confirmed the vendor's suspicions.
"Judging by your faces, am I safe in assuming that you know more about magic than most other tourists?" the vendor asked. The two looked at each other and smirked; this man was a wizard, and he was selling his trade in plain sight. Hermione subtly levitated one of the other symbols, 'Faith', and the three understood. "I may have a special selection for those, versed, in the art of spellcasting," the vendor hinted, indicating the rear of the stall, heading into a tent. The two followed him, and found a myriad of magical items, some Chinese, others from around the world.
"I am a collector of magical artefacts, and while the trinkets in the stall are a way of fooling the Muggles, witches like yourselves are less likely to be fooled." He pulled out a small cardboard box, filled with pendants and necklaces, before finding the one that he was interested in. "If I am correct, you are searching for those whose memories are lost to the sands of time. The pendant allows the wearer to see memories that were previously undone, images of a time forgotten. I believe that it may be of use to you."
Bella eyed the vendor suspiciously; she wasn't one to trust peddlers on the street, especially those who peddle to tourists. "How do we know that the pendant works?" she asked, but the vendor's smile just widened.
"The wind tells me you wish to locate lost memories; I have nothing to hide from the wind. If you distrust the pendant's power, then you should test it yourself." With this, the vendor tossed the pendant over to Bella, and as soon as she caught it, images flashed before her eyes.
A young girl with long flowing black hair, playing in the grass, her innocence a wondrous yet fragile ideal.
A teenager, ebon hair curled and untamed, taking exams in school. She wrote confidently as her classmates struggled.
A young adult, watching the carnage and laughing at the destruction of a Muggle village. She fell in love with hearing the screams of terror.
A gaunt and mad witch, lying in a cold, dank cell, while beasts of darkness patrol outside, sucking all the happiness away. A single tear, falling and dropping onto the floor; and the beasts swarmed, taking every last ounce of passion from it, before continuing their duty.
The dark, cold, stormy night; the night she wished everything would just end. Ready to take the final step. Ready to fall.
The moment her compatriots and co-conspirators rescued her from the walls of her prison. The feelings she felt, the rush of freedom.
A dark room. A knife, and a teen; young, talented and defiant. An enemy. The moment when a choice was made, one which changed an entire world.
Bella dropped to her knees, clutching the pendant tightly in her palm. The surge of memories, some locked away, others forgotten, and one eliminated entirely."What did you do to her?" Hermione said, raising her arms defensively against the vendor.
"The pendant shows her the memories she had forgotten, both the good, and the bad." He walked over to her and helped Bella up onto her feet. "The pendant is yours, use it well," with that, he led them to the entrance, where he parted ways with the two, Bella still shaken up.
"Bella, are you alright?" Hermione asked; aware that the two could now be heard by Muggles, she avoided mentioning anything to do with magic.
"Yeah. Yeah I'm fine." She straightened herself up, and pocketed the necklace. "Let's get a move on, I'm hungry."
"Alright," Hermione agreed. "Let's find a restaurant and grab a bite." The two headed out of the bazaar, and off towards one of the restaurants they had passed on their way from the airport. The restaurant in question was a small Chinese café, and was apparently run by a family, as there were several generations of people working there, all loving and caring towards each other. The café had menus printed in both Chinese and in European languages, including Spanish, French, and of course English. The two sat in a corner booth, and after ordering some drinks and starters, got to the heart of the matter.
"Tell me Bella, what did that pendant show you?" Hermione asked, a tender hand comforting her friends own.
Bella was still a bit shaken, but resolved to let Hermione know. She lowered the mental barriers, allowing her access to all the forgotten and locked memories of yesteryear.
Hermione saw all of the memories in a split second, and she realised just how traumatic Bella's life truly had been, for all the bravado and cockiness, she was still just a scared little girl, frightened that the person she cares about could end up like any of those souls before her.
"Now do you see how much pain I went through in that hospital?" Bella whispered. "All my life I have lived in fear of the day that I have to answer for the decisions I have made."
"Well, perhaps we can fear that day, together;" Hermione replied, and the two embraced each other. No kisses or words were necessary for them this time, just the warmth of each other was comfort enough.
As the meal progressed, Bella ended up applying the healing spell once more on Hermione, and once the meal was over, they headed to the bathroom to 'freshen up', but in reality, it was to figure out just what was wrong with Hermione.
As Hermione locked the bathroom door, Bella began concentrating, scanning Hermione's body for trauma or injury. When that failed, she scanned the unborn baby, but it too was devoid of injury. "Perhaps I am just having some late pregnancy morning sickness," Hermione suggested, and it was something that they ended up conceding to. They were so close to their goal, they didn't want to turn back now.
They called a taxi and headed back to the airport and after a quick supper, boarded the plane and settled down for the night. A few hours later, they were woken up by the sound of crashing thunder, and the bright flashes of lightning. As Bella sat wide eyed in shock, Hermione held her, silently comforting her as the storm thrashed around them.
"This is the Captain," a voice rang out amidst the maelstrom of wind and thunder; "we are experiencing some severe turbulence, and therefore the 'Seatbelt' sign has been turned on. Will all passengers and staff wear their seatbelts for the duration of the turbulent period for their own safety." Bella didn't hear a single word of this; the lightning was provoking too many memories of Azkaban, with its eternal storms and near constant lightning being thrust into her mind's eye. To her, she was in hell once more.
"Bella, are you scared of lightning?" Hermione asked, but as the brunette turned Bella's face towards her, it spoke of the contrary – that what she associated with lightning, that was her biggest fear. "You associate lightning with Azkaban, don't you?" A meek nod confirmed Hermione's suspicions. "I promise, you will not go back there again, as long as I live, you will be with me, Bellatrix."
As another crack of thunder echoed close to the plane, Bella snapped out of her reverie and glanced around; like a deer caught in headlights she didn't know what to do. The thunder wouldn't let her sleep; the turbulence would keep her alert. All she could hope for was comfort, in the darkness of the pacific night. "Hermione?" she whispered softly, "I don't know what is going to happen…"
"I'm here for you, Bella," Hermione whispered back, reaching an arm across her back and allowing Bella to rest her head on her shoulder. "We will be here for you," she reminded herself, knowing that the baby would also love Bella, and would always care about her.
As morning shone on the sleepy plane, the passengers slowly started to wake up. The storm was so bad, that the plane had made a detour, and landed on a small island runway. The locals were kind enough to sell the cabin crew some fuel for the final leg of the journey, and the captain had decided that the best course of action would be to let the passengers sleep through the night.
"Ladies and Gentlemen, this is your captain speaking. We are ready to re-embark on our journey to Australia, landing in Sydney in approximately two hours. Would the crew please prepare for take-off." Bella was the first of the two to wake, and immediately noticed that her hand had subconsciously moved to Hermione's baby bump, most likely in her sleep. Bella started slowly and gently massaging the pregnant belly of her lover, with the baby kicking every few seconds, putting a smile on Bella's otherwise blue face.
Hermione soon became aware of the movement and groggily rose from her sleep. With the faint roar of the engines in the background, she became aware that they were still on the plane. "What's going on, Bella?" she hazily asked, adding a rather large yawn to her question.
This amused Bella, as Hermione wasn't usually someone who slept like a log. "We are somewhere between Hong Kong and Sydney, and about to take off. We should be there in about two hours." As she said this, the baby gave a particularly strong kick, one which Bella and Hermione felt. "I don't think the baby likes being on a plane much," Bella laughed, causing Hermione to chuckle alongside her.
Once the plane was in the air once more, the crew started to serve breakfast. The plane journey was now mostly uneventful, bar the couple who decided to apply for entry into the Mile High Club. Bella and Hermione spent the morning chatting with an elderly passenger across from them in the row, a grandmother who was very accepting of their situation, and despite the fact that no magic had been mentioned, she believed that these two were meant for each other, and once the plane finally landed, ended their acquaintance with a parting gift of wisdom – that love is eternal, and everyone has the right to feel it, no matter the decisions they make in life. Her words hit home to Bella, as this woman somehow knew what things she had done in the past, and yet didn't care. As the two left the airport and headed for the hotel, Bella gave Hermione a quick peck on the cheek. While words were not said, the meaning was universal – 'I love you'.