Bellatrix laid with Hermione in her arms in the rented room at the Leaky Cauldron. They had until eight o'clock. She was speechless.

"But what if-" She started and Hermione shook her head.

"We could-" Hermione shook her head again at her.

"Quit." Bellatrix said finally.

"That doesn't solve anything." Hermione said

"Serve the gits right for doing this." Bella said her arms tightened around Hermione. "You said Fudge did this?"

Hermione nodded.

"Has he gone to the papers yet?"

"No, he sent me an owl saying I had a week to think it over." Hermione ran her fingers slowly up and down Bella's.

"So we have a week." Bella said, her heart was breaking. Hermione kept her sane in her cage. The only thing in her life she'd ever done right was being pulled away. She swallowed, "He's a business man, appeal to his greed." Bella remarked.

Hermione sat up, "Bribe him?"

Bella nodded, "In a manner of speaking. He wants the investigation called off why? Because obviously it cuts into his business dealings. Pay him off and the problem goes away."

"Bu the problem doesn't go away he doesn't want to be investigated. He'll just blackmail us again."

"We kill him." Bella said after a moment.

Hermione's eyes went wide, "What the fuck Bella."

Bella was not kidding in fact her face showed Hermione how serious she was. "Kill him."

"I don't think murder is the answer." Hermione said laying back down in Bella's arms.

"It is for Fudge." Bella responded with a sigh, "Ms. Black this is for the greater good do you understand." She mimicked Fudge's voice. "Yes Ms. Black I understand but in the long run it will save us." Bella wanted to scream, her head pounded. "Sometimes in war Ms. Black murder is the only way."

Hermione touched Bella's face gently to pull her back into the present. "We can't kill him." She whispered pressing her lips to Bella's.

"You don't have to do anything Pet." Bella said returning the kiss.

"Bella no." Hermione said pulling away.

"Pet, look at me." Bella said resting her hands on Hermione's cheeks. "You won't do anything; you will leave this to me."

"I-No Bella please." Hermione pleaded.

"I won't have you taken from me." Bella said, her eyes moving to memorize every contour of Hermione's face.

"We will see each other on Mondays and Tuesdays. The whole day." Hermione said trying to get the dark look out of Bella's eyes.

Hermione looked down at Bella's dark mark, it was faded for sure but never gone. She traced it slowly with her finger. "I can't, you can't Bella. They'll take you away forever."

"They'd have to prove I did it Pet, then they'd have to catch me."

Hermione's heart hurt in her chest, "Don't talk like this is scares me.

"Hush now, we've only a few more hours until I have to leave." Bella said pulling Hermione down onto the bed.

The story broke the following week. The photographs, all of them were front page news. Hundreds of letter poured into the Investigation Department demanding Hermione's resignation, demanding a retrial of Bellatrix Black, there were death threats from anonymous senders. All of those had been handed over to the Magical Law Enforcement. Several letters did show support, but those were few and far between. The Investigation Department released a statement saying that the validity of the allegations was false and that the relationship had begun some months after the pardon was signed. Rita Skeeter had a field day with exclusive interviews of students who confessed that Hermione had always been drawn to the dark side, some even claimed that Hermione and Bellatrix had been penpals while Bella was in Azkaban. A student claimed that Hermione had a fanclub in support of Bellatrix and was chosen as a child bride for Lord Voldemort. The stories went on and on.

Bellatrix frowned reading the stories with Hermione in their rooms at the Cauldron. "Well Pet I have to say I'm hurt; I never knew you had a fan club for me. I would have made a personal appearance just for you." She teased gently. Hermione found she could laugh and pulled the paper away from Bella.

"Really Bella?"

"Mmmm I would have climbed the tower to Gryffindor and-" She kissed the top of Hermione's breasts.

"And freed the damsel in distress?" Hermione said finishing the tale.

"No, I would have fucked the beautiful president of my fan club. You never need rescuing Pet."

This made Hermione laugh as Bella pushed the papers off the bed. It was early, just nine in the morning. They had hours together, Bella kissed Hermione's stomach.

"Bella, if we don't get this sorted-" Hermione started as Bella kissed her stomach again.

"Yes Pet."

"I won't have my Beltane Night."

Bella looked up from Hermione's waist. "I know Pet."

"I can't wait another year."

Bella looked at Hermione, her eyes soft and understanding, "We can do it next-

"No." Hermione said desperately. "No it isn't fair."

Bella moved so she was lying next to Hermione. "We have eons Pet." She said stroking Hermione's hair slowly. "We have so much time for that. There is no rush."

Hermione buried herself into Bella's hair. "I want it now." She said, the feeling of this not happening made Hermione feel as though she were falling into a deep well. Bella's hand moved to stroke Hermione's back.

"Oh Pet." Bella whispered kissing along Hermione's neck. "I want it to, so badly it was all I could do to hold on." She whispered.

"Does it have to be Beltane? Can't we have it on Samhain?" Her voice desperate.

"Samhain is for endings; Beltane is for beginnings." Bella said her hand moving to Hermione's waist. "We can make love on Samhain but, well not for what I want us to do. It needs to be Beltane."

"Why," Hermione asked, her frustration growing. "does it matter as long as it is on a magical day?"

Bella's eyes darkened slightly as she looked at Hermione. She pushed Hermione onto her back and was on top of her in a flash, her hand catching Hermione's and holding them tightly above her head. Hermione struggled lightly as Bella bound Hermione's hands to the bedpost.

"Then I'll take your virginity at Samhain." Hermione's breath caught at her words. She heard the anger behind it, Bellatrix was not smiling. "It's dark, not light like Beltane." She pushed her knee between Hermione's legs. "It marks darkness and endings; but really Pet, we're dark creatures aren't we?" Hermione struggled and felt the bonds grow tighter. "The goddess is not always about light is she my darling?" Hermione shook her head as she felt Bella pulling at her to take off the lacy underwear. "Why should a creature like me have something that is light hmm?" She nipped Hermione's neck. Hermione realized this was not a game.

"Bella-" Hermione whispered as Bella laid her wand to the side of the bed. The door was secured; nobody would be disturbing them. She watched Bella kissing down her body interlaced with bites. She wasn't scared she was just trying to pull Bella back into the present. This wasn't the first time Bella had been carried away in their bed.

Bella didn't look at Hermione, her mind was somewhere else, her eyes looking at ghosts. "No, " she said softly, her touches became softer though she still kept Hermione bound. Her lips still trailed along her soft curves. She placed a kiss against Hermione's clit, her tongue threatening to push into her opening. "We're bound to each other in light. We're not in the dark, we'll not worship the goddess in darkness." Bella said, before pushing her tongue inside Hermione.

Hermione woke up alone in the rooms at the Leaky Cauldron, she had been crying in her sleep. She felt empty without Bella's arms around her. A week, she had a week before she could see Bella again and not in their cottage. She had bruises on her wrists from the night before, she smiled down at them. She would wait if she had to, wait for the following year for Beltane. She could wait, her heart ached but she would wait. Bella had left her with the 'naughty' book as she called it, the page opened to the Goddess Bond. Hermione read it now, carefully, what it meant, how it was done, the importance of the day being Beltane.

"Oh my love." Hermione whispered as she read about one of the spells that were involved, a spell that meant so much more than losing her virginity. A spell that meant so much more for their future. It had to be on Beltane there was no other way. Hermione shivered thinking of the previous night, the darkness in Bella's eyes, she enjoyed it, the bruises felt delicious on her wrists.

She grabbed her quill and some parchment. She retrieved a small glass phial from her bag. Pricking her finger, she dropped the blood into it, when she had enough she sealed it and began to write while sucking her finger.

My Bella,

I hope this is enough for what you need.

H.

She rolled it carefully in the parchment and sealed it up, opening her window Hermione waited for the owl. She still sucked her finger reading the book Bella had left. Her heart raced as she examined the illustrations again for the Goddess Bond.

Birch-Lock threw the picture down on Hermione's desk. The one of Bella kissing her in the garden.

"I got something Granger." He said glancing around the outer office before shutting Hermione's door. Birch-Lock had given Hermione his old office to give her privacy during this fiasco.

"You have the picture the whole world has seen. Great." Hermione said looking down at the picture.

"No I've been doing some thinking." He said and then paused waiting for Hermione's famous insults to fly. "Nothing?" He asked slightly disappointed. Hermione looked at him with a frown.

"What have you been thinking?" She asked, she couldn't spare with him on insults today.

"How did he get the pictures?" Birch-Lock asked.

"What do you mean someone took them." She said looking down at the picture again.

"Who took them?"

"I haven't a clue he probably has someone on his payroll to dig up dirt on anyone who threatens him." Why couldn't he have targeted Birch-Lock Hermione thought bitterly.

"Think Granger, your girlfriend's cottage is unplottable. The only people who know where it is were in that room and signed that pardon."

Hermione's eyes widened. "But-how?" Hermione said looking from the photo to Birch-Lock. "We're bound by secrecy."

Birch-Lock shook his head, "Bound to secrecy yes, we can't reveal her whereabouts however, because we know where she is we can go there, at least to the outskirt which is where this photo is taken from look at it. Look at the distance it is taken from."

Hermione felt like a bolt of lightning crashed into her. "Weasley."

"Percy Weasley." Birch-Lock said in a triumphant smile. "Think about it, he has the motive, the hatred, he'd want to ruin your life. He's too much of a Weasel to kill her. Bellatrix is deadly even without her wand at full capability. He'd want to destroy her and you."

"He was following me. The picture was from a day I had had lunch with the Weasleys. He followed me, he must have. That's- that's why Ron had lunch with me that week. He knew, he knew about the pictures. He gave them to Fudge, told Fudge we would be meeting at the Leaky Cauldron."

"The whole Weasley family would want us ruined."

"Yeah you left your boyfriend for her, you left the golden trio for the witch who nearly killed Ron's sister. You left him for the woman who tortured you. You'd rather bond to a murderer than-"

"I got it Birch." Hermione said holding up her hand. Hermione paced the room, the attack had felt so personal, so much more than investigating Fudge. He would threaten sure, but this, this photo had been a personal fuck you to Hermione.