Narrowing Down Bellatrix's Timeline

Hermione watched as Draco disappeared out the door, leaving her alone with Narcissa. She couldn't help but feel a sense of nervousness as she turned to face the older woman.

"Hi," she said shyly, offering a small smile.

Narcissa returned the smile, her eyes sparkling. "Hello, my dear. I rather hoped we could continue our investigation, but first…"

Narcissa then stepped forward, took Hermione into her arms and kissed her passionately. Hermione couldn't help but respond, her body reacting to the older woman's touch. The feel of Narcissa's lips on hers sent shivers down Hermione's spine, and for a moment, she got lost in the sensation. But as they began to get carried away, Hermione pulled back, breathless. "We won't accomplish a lot of investigation this way," she pointed out.

Narcissa pouted but ultimately agreed. "You have a point, my dear."

Hermione smiled, grateful for Narcissa's understanding. They sat down at the console, ready to continue their investigation but as Hermione booted up the system, she couldn't help but feel a bit distracted. The feeling of Narcissa's lips on hers lingered, and she found herself stealing glances at her with increasing frequency. She couldn't deny the attraction she felt for the older woman, but she also knew that they needed to keep their focus on the investigation.

Narcissa seemed lost in thought before furrowing her brow in confusion. "Hermione, why do you think we seem to be the only people with two sets of memories?"

Hermione took a deep breath before responding. "I have a hypothesis based on how this lab was created."

Narcissa leaned in, intrigued. "Go on."

Hermione explained, "Right before Harry, Ron, and I went on the run, I created an expanded bag that allowed me to carry all the supplies we could potentially need. The expanded bag actually manipulated space to create a pocket of subspace that existed independently of the physical world. This lab works on the same concept, just to a much larger degree."

Narcissa's eyes widened in amazement. "That's incredible."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "But here's the thing. This subspace must protect our minds from the removal of any memories that the change in timeline in the physical world causes."

Narcissa's expression turned thoughtful as she considered Hermione's words. "So, because our old memories exist in this subspace, they're not subject to the same changes as the physical world. That would explain why we have knowledge of both timelines."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "That's the conclusion I came to as well."

Narcissa smiled in approval. "Hermione, you're brilliant."

Hermione blushed at the compliment, feeling a sense of pride at Narcissa's words.

Hermione took a deep breath, trying to refocus on the task at hand. "So, where should we start?" she asked, redirecting the conversation back to the investigation.

Narcissa thought for a moment before answering. "I think we should start by looking at the time after Hogwarts and before rumors of Bellatrix's corruption came about. That might help us identify when she was under a new compulsion."

Hermione agreed. "That's a good place to start."

Narcissa leaned back in her chair, lost in thought. "After Bellatrix joined the Aurors and Andy was disowned by our parents, I was left alone with them. The pressure to act like a proper pureblood lady increased greatly, especially during my fifth year at Hogwarts when my parents arranged a marriage between me and Lucius Malfoy."

Hermione listened intently, wanting to understand more about Narcissa's past. "Did you still talk to your sisters during that time?"

Narcissa nodded. "Yes, I even saw Bellatrix on Hogsmeade weekends. Although, I suspect that had more to do with the fact that she still had a crush on Professor McGonagall."

Hermione couldn't help but smile at the thought. "That's quite the crush to last that long."

Narcissa chuckled. "Yes, it was. The night of my graduation from Hogwarts, I discovered the two women snogging rather enthusiastically after the ceremony."

Hermione's eyebrows raised in surprise. "You saw them?"

Narcissa nodded. "Yes, I did. It was quite the shock. I think it was serious between them, because Bella was never shy about expressing her interest in McGonagall to Andy and me. A few months before my graduation she had stopped, at the time I assumed it was because she had moved on. Needless to say after discovering them it became obvious that wasn't the case."

Hermione nodded in understanding. "What happened after that?"

Narcissa took a deep breath. "Well, I started studying for my Potions mastery against my parents' wishes. About a year after I started, my father felt I was avoiding marriage, so he threatened to kill Andy, who was pregnant with Nymphadora, if I didn't marry Lucius. He was more than happy to potentially go through with the threat and eliminate the 'black mark' on the family honor. So, I agreed to save my sister and unborn niece."

Hermione's heart ached for Narcissa, knowing the difficult position she had been in. "I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Narcissa gave her a small smile. "Thank you. It was a difficult time, but I learned to survive."

Hermione listened intently as Narcissa continued her story. "The night before my wedding, Bellatrix came to me with a plan to save me and protect Andy and her family. She said she would come back and sneak me away at 1am and take me somewhere safe."

Hermione's eyebrows raised in surprise. "Knowing you married Lucius, does that mean something went wrong? Did you get caught?"

Narcissa shook her head. "No, she never showed. The next day at the wedding, Bellatrix was seen hanging out with known Death Eaters like the Lestranges, Yaxley, MacNair, and Avery."

Hermione's mind raced with questions, but she held back, wanting Narcissa to finish her story.

"Shortly after that, rumors about Bellatrix started to emerge," Narcissa continued. "People started to question her loyalty to the Aurors and to the Ministry. I never knew what happened that night, but I always wondered if Bellatrix had changed her mind about helping me."

Hermione couldn't help but feel a pang of sympathy for Narcissa. She knew what it was like to wonder about the motivations of someone she thought she knew well. "Do you think it's possible that Bellatrix was under a compulsion at that time?"

Narcissa thought for a moment before answering. "It's possible. Based on what we've discovered so far I would go so far as to say it is likely."

Hermione leaned back in her chair, her mind whirling with the information they had just discussed. "We at least have a time period to investigate further," she said thoughtfully, "but I wonder if we should talk to McGonagall to see if she can help narrow it down even further."

Narcissa furrowed her brow in thought. "Given the sudden change in Bellatrix, I can't help but think it might be difficult for McGonagall to talk about."

Hermione nodded in agreement. "It makes sense. If she was invested in the relationship, the sudden change in personality likely led to heartbreak. Plus I can't imagine she would handle dating someone who suddenly associated with Death Eaters, calmly. Her fiery Scottish temper would've made an appearance."

Narcissa sighed, running a hand through her hair. "You're right. We'll have to find another way to narrow down the timeline."

They fell into a comfortable silence, lost in thought, until Narcissa spoke up again. "Maybe, before we do anything else, we should wait to hear from Draco about whatever he rushed off to do."

Hermione nodded, feeling a sense of relief at the suggestion. "Agreed. It's always best to have all the information before making any decisions."

Narcissa's lips curved into a flirty smile as she leaned closer to Hermione. "In the meantime, how about we go to that wonderful library of yours and cuddle together while reading?" she suggested.

Hermione couldn't help but feel a rush of warmth at the suggestion. "That sounds perfect," she replied with a smile, and they both got up from their chairs.

As they made their way out of the lab and toward the library, Hermione felt a sense of contentment settle over her. Despite the seriousness of their investigation, she couldn't help but feel grateful for the connection she had with Narcissa..

As they settled into a comfortable corner of the library, with Narcissa's arms wrapped around her, Hermione felt at peace. She knew that whatever the future held, she wasn't alone.