"Where are you going?" Tom demanded as Hermione pulled on her traveling cloak. She had been leaving more often lately.
"Tom." Hermione flipped her hair out from under her cloak. "There is something going on the in the Black Manor and I intend to protect those girls as much as I can. So, I tutor those girls."
A worried look flittered across Tom's face. "Cygnus said that Bellatrix is a tad touched in the head."
"I think it's environmental. I've been doing some research and I think Bella's voices are a product of her magic trying to protect her; only I think instead of creating some kind of multiple personalities, it's mimicking some aspects of schizophrenia."
"What?" Tom shook his head slightly, he had no idea what she was talking about.
Hermione sighed. Wizards. "She's touched in the head because her magic is trying to protect her from her parents. And I'm trying to have the girls' magic be rooted in elemental magic before they start the rigid Hogwarts curriculum."
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"Mia!" Andromeda exclaimed, a smile lighting up her face as Hermione stepped into the drawing room.
Hermione's weekly magic lessons were the highlights of the Black sisters' week. Hermione had discovered that while all three excelled at healing, it was Narcissa's base form of magic. Andromeda's base was creation and Bellatrix excelled in blood magic. Hermione made sure to teach their strengths and was slightly surprised when they all performed the Dark Arts well – even when their base magic differed vastly.
Hermione smiled at her students. "Have you been practicing?"
"Of course we have, mum." Bellatrix rolled her eyes.
"Bella." Andy hissed, glancing nervously around the room. Narcissa had practiced her healing on Bella after her had called Hermione 'mum' to their mother's face.
"Girls." Hermione frowned. "What happened?"
"Bella called you mum to our mother." Narcissa bit her lip to keep from crying.
"She hurt you." Hermione pursed her lips. "I wonder if she could come down with dragon pox."
Throwing her head back, Bella cackled. "While that sounds wonderful, what are we learning today?"
"Just theory."
Andromeda thrust her lip out in a pout.
"What do you know about rituals?" Hermione asked, tilting her head to the side.
"What you taught us." Narcissa exclaimed, grinning at the older witch.
Bellatrix shook her head. "I've researched some, but I haven't attempted any."
"Good." Hermione's serious tone caught the girl's attention. "Rituals are dangerous if performed incorrectly and some are dangerous when performed correctly. Please, don't attempt one without me."
"Yes, mum." Bella wrapped her hands around Hermione's waist.
Smiling down at the young girl, Hermione petted her head, her wisps running through her curls.
"When are you going to teach us that spell?" Andromeda asked. She had never seen magic look like black smoke.
Lifting her hand, Hermione sent her magic to play with the girls' hair. She grinned at their giggles. "This magic, Andy?"
The middle Black sister nodded her head.
"This is the side effect of combining a few dark rituals." Hermione pulled her magic back into herself.
"Will you show me?" Bellatrix asked, dark eyes pleading.
"Bella." Hermione's face softened as she reached out and cupped the girl's face. "It won't make them go away."
Shaking her head, Bellatrix frowned. "But you make them quiet!"
"Oh, Bella." Gathering the young girl into her arms, Hermione held her as she silently cried on her shoulder.
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Black Manor had become headquarters for the Death Eaters. Hermione made sure to spend some time with her girls, either before or after the meetings.
The July, after Bellatrix had turned thirteen, Hermione was utterly bored listening to the Pureblood men drone on and on about how they should be in charge of a certain number of troops and Halfbloods didn't deserve to lead any.
"We," Tom gestured to his wife and himself. "Will only put people we know to be competent in charge of our troops."
Hermione bit her lip to keep from chuckling, Orion looked so offended. Neither Tom nor Hermione believed him to be competent.
Before anyone could object, the drawing room door banged open and Narcissa rushed in. Hermione stood up and started to make her way over to the girl.
Cygnus jumped to his feet and stalked toward his daughter. "What have I told you about interrupting?!"
Just as he raised his fist to strike, Hermione caught it in hand. The pureblood men looked at each other nervously, afraid for Cygnus. "Take a seat, Cygnus. Now!"
The wizard quickly reclaimed his seat, there was something about that witch that scared him. The young men that had gone to Hogwarts with her, treated her with respect born out of fear.
Hermione crouched down to the nine year-old's level. "Cissy, what's wrong."
Looking at her father, Narcissa fearfully shook her head. She had hoped her father wouldn't be in the room when she ran to her mum.
"It's okay, I won't let him hurt you." Hermione smiled ferally. A smile Narcissa answered with equal measure. "Now, care to tell me."
"It's Bella." Narcissa gulped, eyes darting toward her father fearfully. She had never seen Hermione's magic last out.
Hermione nodded, before she stood up and started walking out of the room.
"And just where do you think you're going?" Cygnus growled, causing the inner circle to wince.
Looking over her shoulder, Hermione's eyes hardened. "I'm going to see what's wrong with Bella." Her magic lashed outwards, throwing him backwards onto the floor.
Cygnus groaned and made no move to get up.
Narcissa gasped, she had never seen her mum's wisps act in any violent way and it surprised her, they were so gently with her and her sister.
Tom chuckled. "She seems to have taken a shining to your girls."
Taking the stairs two at a time, Hermione rushed down the hallway. Bellatrix's screams echoing off the walls. Rounding a corner she slowed her steps as she nears Bellatrix's door.
"Bella." Hermione knocked on the door.
"You are not wanted here." Druella snapped, her anger palpable even through the door.
Snarling, Hermione's magic leaped out of her body and blasted the door open.
"Merlin's beard!" Druella exclaimed. "What do you think you're doing?"
Hermione's eyes narrowed at the sight in front of her. Bella was tied to the bed by her wrists and ankles, and the ropes were so tight they were cutting into skin, staining the once white rope red with her blood.
"Get out!" Hermione snarled, her wisps arching up dangerously.
"You don't understand." Druella tried.
"You're damn right I don't understand!" The younger witch exclaimed. "Now get out!"
Druella quickly fled her daughter's room, the wisps chasing her as the returned the door to its original state.
Hermione slowly approached the screaming girl. In a soft voice, she slowly stated. "I'm going to untie you now."
Bella made no indication that she had heard Hermione, she just kept struggling to get free. Causing the rope to cut deeper into her flesh.
Hermione untied Bella's feet first, frowning at how deep the ropes had cut. Her wisps gently wrapped around Bellatrix's ankles and repaired the broken tissue.
Bella stopped thrashing around at the touch of Hermione's magic.
Hermione turned her attention to Bella's right hand. She had to untie it slowly, the rope had dug in deeply. Her wisps carefully wrapped around the open wound.
By now Bellatrix had stopped screaming.
After Hermione had untied and healed Bella's left wrist as well, she held Bellatrix's face in her hands. "Why would they do this to you?"
Bella relaxed into her touch. "You make them quiet."
"What?" Hermione frowned, not entirely sure what she was talking about.
"The voices, you make them quiet." Bella leaned into the comforting touch, something that her parents didn't give her. "You make them quieter than Andy or Cissy."
Hermione brushed a sweaty curl out of Bellatrix's face. "Bella, you were tied to the bed because of your voices?"
The younger witch nodded.
"What do they tell you?" Hermione had never asked Bellatrix that question, just accepted that they could.
"They just…" Bella licked her lips. She wasn't supposed to tell anyone, but this was mum. "They just make comments about people and… sometimes if I hurt myself or others, they stop."
Hermione wiped away the tears that had started rolling down Bella's face with her thumbs. "Bella, please don't hurt yourself."
A watery cackle erupted from Bellatrix. "So, it's oaky to hurt others?"
"There are times when it's called for." Hermione smirked down at her.
"They never quiet so fast." Bella hummed, leaning into Hermione.
Hermione wrapped her arms around the distraught witch and rubbed her back. "I'm so sorry."
"Why are you sorry?" Bellatrix giggled, though it sounded more like a subdued cackled. "You got them to quiet."
Running her fingers through Bella's unruly curls, Hermione smiled. "Don't let your parents hurt you like that again, okay?"
Bella nodded.
"And you won't let them hurt your sisters either?"
"Oh," Bella waved off Hermione's concern. "I already do that."
Hermione frowned but didn't say anything; she would be talking to Tom about this later. They would make it so treating children like this was a punishable offense – to Azkaban.
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A/N: Don't you just love the Blacks?