Hey everyone!
Sorry it's taking me months... probably a year to update a new fresh chapter. I'm not sure when the next upload is gonna be but I have a new job which should allow me to have more time to write so here's hoping!
Thank you to fLashinDashes and The-Weird-Shafala for leaving two inspiring reviews and giving me the motivation to get back into this. I hope you and everyone enjoys this update!
- WeeklyCrisis
Hazelnut and coffee with a dash of vanilla.
That was the scent that enveloped Hermione as she stirred from the depths of her slumber.
She didn't remember falling asleep, but when she woke up in Bellatrix's bed, wrapped in warm sheets, she knew that she must have missed the rest of the day's classes and that thought sent a shiver up her spine. Hermione never missed classes unless she had an incredibly good reason… and this did not seem like one, at least it would look that way to Minerva, and yet Hermione couldn't bring herself to care.
Hermione glanced around her, her mind finally switching on like a booted computer as she realised she was no longer in the living room and that Bellatrix was not with her. Memories came flooding back to her, Ron, the restraints activating, magic and wood splitting, Bellatrix nearly shifting, the sound of the floorboard screaming as her claws sliced into them, the understanding and worry in dark eyes, the acceptance, the determination to not kill Ron where he stood. She began to panic as she got out of the warm bed, sheets slipping away as she made her way to the door.
"Bellatrix?" Hermione called worriedly, and upon hearing no answer her concerns grew into an aching and reckless panic. "Bellatrix?!" She called again, throwing open the door and promptly walking right into the dark witch who grunted in response. Hermione's eyes widened as she lost her footing, walking into Bellatrix felt like bumping into a wall, and as she slipped backwards, Bellatrix's arm wrapped around her firmly, bringing her close to stop the fall. Hermione looked up in surprise as Bellatrix held her securely, a grin plastered on her face.
"Good morning."
"Bellatrix…." Hermione started, a little dazed from the near fall and from the way Bellatrix pulled her close with ease, their proximity causing her racing heart to beat for an entirely different reason. It didn't help that when Bellatrix spoke, her voice was low and sensual, almost a purr.
"Have I caught your tongue, pet?" She grinned playfully as the other girls eyes widened and a dark blush spread across her cheeks, dreams and reality blurring into one. Bellatrix briefly thought about how she would never get tired of hearing the brunette's heart skip, of the way her blush always exposed how she was feeling, of the way the witch's scent shifted whenever Bellatrix flirted with her. Bellatrix chuckled softly, deep and a little gravelly as she steadied Hermione. "Didn't mean to make you fall for me." She smirked letting go of the other witch and taking a full step back. Hermione cleared her throat, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, she crossed her arms and glanced at Bellatrix, analysing the dark witch, searching for any wounds, scars, anything to indicate that what had happened yesterday was real and not a dream. Hermione looked away for just a second, trying to control her racing heart before she met the coal coloured gaze of Bellatrix Black. She cleared her throat, unwilling to address Bellatrix's comment.
"I take it you're feeling better." Hermione spoke sharply, authoritatively, though there was no doubt about the worry that tinged her tone. Bellatrix in response smiled at the little witch's display of faux anger.
"I told you I would heal." Bellatrix shrugged noncommittally and walked into the bedroom to set down a glass of water and a book. Hermione looked over her shoulder to see that there seemed to be no injuries to the witch at all. Perks of being a werewolf. Hermione would have to run some tests.
"I take it that Nymph sorted things?" Hermione said cooly, smoothing her hair back and glancing at the close proximity between herself and Bellatrix and then away*... why am I here and not in a medi-wing…No offence." She asked in a softer, more inquisitive tone.
"You mean you don't trust me? Why, I'm hurt, little muggleborn." Bellatrix grinned, her tone teasing, she rolled her eyes at Hermione's unimpressed expression. "Baby Dora came in every 10 minutes to check on you. When she realised I wasn't going to slit your throat, she checked in every 20, then every 30. She'll probably pop in about 25 minutes. She's stepped out to give a report." Bellatrix recounted, her eyes never leaving Hermione's, a smirk pulling at her lips.
"I… see. Thank you." Hermione swallowed, not because she was nervous. She wasn't nervous. Her heart wasn't racing and she most certainly did not feel a shiver down her spine at the way Bellatrix's lips quirked into a teasing smirk. She dug her nails into palms to feel some modicum of control. "And how did I end up in the bed?"
"Pixies came out of the wood and drifted you into the bed using pixie dust and words of belief." Bellatrix's tone was threaded with an amused and teasing sarcasm, it seemed she was in a playful mood. Hermione fought the eye roll that threatened to cross her expression as a small, tiny, insignificant smile tugged at her lips.
"Peter Pan, really?"
"I carried you, come on Granger, you got more sense than that." Bellatrix's words were lightheartedly scathing, as if irritated at pointing out the obvious but not finding it in herself to actually be harsh towards the pretty muggleborn. Hermione on the other hand was more perplexed at why Bellatrix would even consider carrying her, especially after she had been hit by Ron's spells.
"You carried me whilst you were hurt, why would you do that?" Hermione spoke softly, albeit questioningly, she wanted answers. Bellatrix's behaviour was erratic and irrational but this was… rare.
A sheepish expression crossed Bellatrix's features, her dark eyes softened but held that guarded look as her gaze flitted away from Hermione's eyes before settling back on the girl once more.
"Because it's not comfortable to sleep on the floor? Trust me, I've slept in the woods, it sucks." The dark with smiles toothily, cocky grin in place as she shrugged.
"You know what I mean, Bellatrix, you could've just left me on the couch or better yet get Nymph to take me to the medi-wing, that makes far more sense than you carrying me to your bed."
Bellatrix didn't really have an answer for that so she shrugged.
"Does it matter?"
"So you took me to bed?" As soon as the words left her mouth, Hermione blushed and it sent a wave of excitement through Bellatrix. "That is um, you lifted me and then carried me to the bedroom whilst severely injured?"
"Oh my darling witch, even without the werewolf strength, I would have no problem lifting you." Bellatrix spoke with an underlying hunger that speared the playfulness of her tone and through Hermione, causing her heart to beat just a second faster, and to Bellatrix it was quickly becoming a siren song. Bellatrix chewed her cheek fighting the urge to continue teasing Hermione, something else was more important. "I'm uh…. Well that is to say… um… fuck, this went a lot better in my head." Bellatrix growled to herself and nervously ran her hand through her hair. "I didn't kill the weasel… and that was because of you and I … didn't mean to… I mean didn't expect you to- "
Hermione stared at Bellatrix in shock. In all her years, her experience, her interactions, she had never once heard of Bellatrix truly and honestly trying to apologise. Hermione took in Bellatrix. The dark witch was standing rather awkwardly, arms crossed, fingers delicately tapping her arm as she leaned against the wood frame, eyes averted but every second or so darting to Hermione but never holding her gaze. Bellatrix was nervous.
"I- um" Hermione said intelligently, Bellatrix huffed and groaned.
"Bloody hell, I should have just called you a slur or something normal."
"No, I mean, I'm glad you didn't. Although I wouldn't have been surprised if you had but I… what I mean to say is, thank you. For the apology."
"I didn't apologise."
"Thank you anyways."
Bellatrix grunted and looked away. Silence stretched between them for a minute before Bellatrix huffed frustratedly.
"When I started to shift, you managed to stop it… how did you do it?" Bellatrix's eyes held a glint of nervousness, though if you asked her she would deny it vehemently.
Hermione sighed, her thoughts shifting to that moment of claws, teeth, of pained yellow eyes. She didn't have an answer. She didn't know why, she was stumped and she genuinely couldn't think of a connective thread between Bellatrix not killing both her and Ron in that moment and Hermione's own actions.
"I'm really not sure;" Hermione started gently, trying to think of any other potential factors but coming up short. Either Bellatrix's will was stronger than either of them thought or there was some other reason involved that they would have to unravel. " was frightened, but I… it's not the most scared I've been of you … and you were fighting it so hard, despite what I know of you, what you've shown yourself in the past to be, you were doing everything possible to not even touch me again, you were killing yourself to make sure you wouldn't hurt me."
"It wasn't for you." The darker haired witch cut in cooly, bluntly… she was being reserved, her guard up, yet Hermione continued emboldened as her memories of what happened played on her mind and she just couldn't wrap her head around why everything happened the way it did.
"I know but… but I could tell you didn't want to hurt me, and it's just such an unusual juxtaposition to me because… because of everything I know, of every timeline, every dimension, you-" Hermione had said too much and she quickly started to backtrack "That is, with all the knowledge there is about Bellatrix Lestrange… of Bellatrix Black, self-sacrificing isn't something you're known for."
Bellatrix grumbles uncomfortably at the praise, and the way Hermione was causing her heart to race which distracted her from the younger witch's slip.
"Loyalty? absolutely, but this protective, sweet-"
"Careful, Granger." Bellatrix snapped her teeth, eyes sharpening, but Hermione was a Gryffindor, and so she continued, unperturbed.
"Playful and mischievous Bellatrix is nothing like the ones I've known, and it means that I was right!" Hermione stared at Bellatrix determinedly, neither witch moving an inch.
"About what?" Bellatrix stared into wooden defiance swirling in Hermione's gaze, she liked this look on the witch, perhaps a tad more than she'd like to admit.
"About choosing you. Choosing to save you… about choosing to trust you."
Silence.
Silence, except for both witches breath in this close space. For Bellatrix she could hear more though. She could heart Hermione's heart, and she was almost thankful that Hermione couldn't hear the way her own heart… skipped.
Disgusting. Abhorrent. Blood-traitor.
But…
It felt warm. It felt good.
Bellatrix didn't know how to answer. So she chose to look away and breathe out a slow, sarcastic response.
"This doesn't answer my question, although my ego is thoroughly stroked and well… if trusting me makes you feel better then knock yourself out." Hermione's answering chuckle took Bellatrix by surprise, the sound soft and full of an unexpected warmth that made Bellatrix's eyes snap to hers.
"I don't know the answer, Bellatrix. I just… knew you wouldn't hurt me in that moment… which is stupid considering my breakdown over … over." Pink spread across the tips of Hermione's ears as she stuttered and shook her head, clearing the image of Bellatrix's leg between her thighs and her breath coasting the shell of her ear. "I didn't think, I just reached out and…" Hermione was becoming lost in the memory, in her thoughts of dark, oil pastel eyes, of impish smiles and that harrowing look of desperation in Bellatrix's eyes when she told her to get away, the sheer determination, her laugh-
"Granger, for the love of god, take a breath, your heart sounds like it is about to burst out of your chest and it is incredibly distracting." Bellatrix pinched the bridge of her nose as she tried to resist the sinfully tempting beat pounding in the other girl's rib cage, and if Hermione were to look closely, she would notice Bellatrix also attempting to cover the watery blush spreading across her cheeks. "I remember the rest… whatever, it's probably some weird werewolf thing, stupid to ask some muggleborn."
"Why do you keep doing that?"
"Doing what?"
"Deflecting… going back to calling me names." Hermione crossed her arms as irritation coloured warm, honeyed eyes. Bellatrix felt her usual character fall back into place and grinned back at the shorter witch, leaning closer, dark hair tumbling forward.
"Would you rather I go back to flirting with you?" Bellatrix spoke slowly, voice low and full of … something dark and sweet like… a mocha. Hermione's eyes widened as the thought washed over her, it wasn't the first time she had compared Bellatrix to one of her favourite drinks and the embarrassment of that knowledge settled warmly on her cheeks as she tried to lean back away from the dark witch, to no avail as all she did was press her back against the door, Bellatrix's arm on one side of her head, keeping her close but not trapping her, seemed Bellatrix had learned from yesterday.
"What do you mean flirting with me?" Hermione's voice did not shake. It did not tremble and it most certainly did not waver as impossibly dark eyes flicked down to her lips and back up.
"I'm pretty sure that's what it's called." Bellatrix's smirk stretched into something more wolfish, something hungry and greedy whilst Hermione's brain started to short-circuit, a blush darkening her skin to the point Bellatrix thought steam would pour out of the witch's ears.
"You're… flirting with me?" Hermione queried once more a little dumbly, blinking at Bellatrix as if stupefied.
"Didn't I tell you I don't like repeating myself?" Bellatrix's eyes brimmed with an emotion Hermione couldn't describe as anything other than purely feral as she inched a little closer to Hermione. "I told you before, you're hot, pet"
"I- but… No. That's- "
"Do you not want me to flirt with you?" Bellatrix stated bluntly, the change in seductive to straightforward giving Hermione whiplash.
"What?"
"Do you not want me to flirt with you?" Bellatrix smiled, the question itself spoken with ease and curiosity as Hermione snapped back to reality, her thoughts clearing as she tried to turn her head away from Bellatrix's gaze.
"No! Bellatrix, this is meant to be nothing more than a professional relationship, a temporary truce a… a way for you to redeem yourself and show the wizarding world that things can change, people can change, that YOU can change" Hermione rubbed her scarred wrist reassuringly to herself as she spoke, her words gaining more vigour with every breath. "You've shown such great progress, and I … I really have enjoyed getting to know you, but you're still… you're still a murderer, you tortured me…." She took an unsteady breath as Bellatrix stared at her intently, leaning ever so closer.
"It doesn't seem appropriate for you to be flirting with me." Hermione finished bluntly, finally meeting the embodiment of mischief who simply laughed in her face.
"Appropriate? You're, what… 19? Pretending to be a therapist to a 20 year old death eater, whilst hiding said death eaters secret from her friends and the organisation which she swore to protect. Does that seem appropriate to you, pet?" Bellatrix challenged, fangs poking out ever so slightly with her excitement.
"That doesn't count, I'm the only one for the job because I have experience in dealing with you… with your kind, with death eaters." Hermione quickly amended. "This isn't the point Bellatrix, if someone finds out the project would be over, my reputation would be ruined, you'd be locked away and this would have all been for nothing." Hermione stated clearly, calculatively, listing her points using her finger tips before Bellatrix simply grabbed her palm with a gentleness Hermione was not used to, fingers grazing the back of her hand and causing fire to skirt across her skin. Hermione stopped talking, she held her breath as Bellatrix encompassed her line of sight, not giving room for any distractions.
"Not a single bit of you is tempted, Hermione Granger?" Bellatrix allowed the voices in her head screaming impurity and blood traitor to disperse, and to follow that selfish part of her that wanted, that craved and that felt. It had been years since she had felt even a shred of something like this, and Hermione fanned the flames with the way her heart skipped, the way her breath hitched and the way her eyes burned and splintered from emotion to emotion. The way the brunette's skin heated and flushed from her ears, to her cheeks and further down and... Bellatrix was royally fucked.
She had lost control and she was spiralling hard with this new found freedom to feel and act, all for a brunette bookworm with hidden teeth and fire that could scorch those that wandered carelessly.
Hermione blushed. Really and truly blushed. At Bellatrix, at the implications and at her own thoughts. She couldn't help but be enraptured by Bellatrix, she fought desperately against the insane reaction of looking at anything other than Bellatrix's eyes, her body begging her to look at the lips that tainted her so sweetly. Hermione's mind had once again bungee jumped into turmoil and she shook her head vehemently and defensively began organising her thoughts into a library, a calming method she learned, one that also helped greatly against legimency, which she knew the other witch was acutely skilled in, even with her magic restricted. Hermione took a breath.
Logic.
Control.
Focus.
"No." Hermione whispered, not trusting her voice to carry any louder than that whilst she recollected herself. She swallowed harshly and allowed herself to speak more clearly. "Not at all. And even if in some hypothetical reality I was… I would get rid of it because that's what a professional does." Hermione's voice was defiant in the face of her own thoughts and in the face of well…. Bellatrix who simply softened and smiled, leaning so that her lips were a breath away from Hermione's.
"Oh sweetheart, I thought you would already know that the only way to get rid of temptation, is to yield to it."
Bellatrix was too close and it was making it hard not to fall into dark acrylic eyes that shined with honesty and desire.
"Dorian Gray?" The brunette witch queried, disorientated, pupils blown, excitement dancing along her pores. Hermione was distracted. Bellatrix was a distraction. She knew that, Harry knew that, he had told her … but she didn't think Bellatrix would be this kind of distraction. She swallowed and pressed a hand to Bellatrix's shoulder, forcibly putting some distance between them to clear her head, it was hard to focus with Bellatrix standing so close, with her lips barely touching hers, and she knew that the witch could hear her heart thundering in her chest.
"You brought me the book." Bellatrix smiled, something genuine, despite the dark look swirling in her eyes.
"I did." Hermione spoke softly, defence bleeding out of her voice as she took shuddering breaths, all it would take is a breath, a single movement and… and Hermione would ruin the project. She swallowed nervously, desperate to recollect herself. She needed a change in conversation, a change in scenery, a change in anything to prevent… to prevent whatever this feeling soaring in her chest was.
Hermione needed to snap out of it and think of a way to redirect this conversation.
"I did." Hermione repeated. "Oscar Wilde is one of my favourites, I'm glad you've taken to his work." She chances a glance at Bellatrix who stares at her intently, lips parted as if to correct Hermione, before she looks down, seemingly taking the hint and stepping back, breaking whatever bewitchment the two had fallen into. Hermione wrings her hands nervously as she considers her next words.
"I guess I have." Bellatrix started, staring down in thought before she made eye contact with Hermione once more. "Taken a liking, that is. He's … a great author. An incredibly talented, intricate, and complex… person." Bellatrix spoke carefully, eyes wandering across Hermione's, and it was clear to both witches that Bellatrix was talking about a certain brunette, rather than Oscar Wilde.
Hermione blushed profusely, and looked away, afraid to fall into the depths of something dark and all encompassing. She cleared her throat.
"Yes, well… I'm sure if he could… he would say thank you." Hermione shyly responded before clearing her throat. "So… just to recap yesterday, you brought me to the bedroom after I fell asleep." A simple nod from Bellatrix and Hermione chewed her lip a little worriedly, noticing the mild irritation in the curve of the dark witch's lips. "How long was I asleep?" Hermione frowned as Bellatrix chuckled and began dramatically counting on her fingers.
"1… maybe 2." Bellatrix hummed in contemplation before shrugging. "Just a few hours? I guess your… reaction wore you out. Weasel left shortly after it happened and-." She began to summarise clearly as fear flashed across the brunette's eyes. Bellatrix immediately stiffened and a sense of needing to reassure the witch and protect her quickly passed through her but before she could, words tumbled out of Hermione unbidden.
"Oh my god, Ron!" And just like that, Hermione Granger, golden girl and brain of the trio was back to functionality. "I can't believe he did that, he put the whole project in jeopardy! Where is he now?" Hermione gently pushed past Bellatrix walking into the living room, grabbing her coat in order to make her leave. "I need to talk to him before he goes to McGonnagal so that I can save this and-" Bellatrix stepped in front of Hermione's path once more.
"Stop talking for a second, your brain sounds like it's about to explode." Bellatrix smirked and raised her hands in a non-threatening gesture. "Nymph already gave the weasel boy an earful, he's keeping his mouth shut until you're ready to clarify the situation."
"What? Why?"
"I didn't explain everything but I told her it was my fault, you'll probably have to write up some report about how I attacked you and then weasel tried to save you and how you'll be, I don't know changing some sort of procedure to ensure it won't happen again." The dark witch shrugged as she led Hermione into the living room.
"But that's not what happened-" Hermione frowned, confused at Bellatrix's choice and the way the dark witch seemed to not care that this could affect the reported progress of the experiment and affect the way she was seen in the eyes of the court and others. Bellatrix levelled a blank stare at Hermione
"It has to be what happened, use that big mousy brain of yours and figure out why."
"But, you're doing good, Bellatrix, unbelievably so, you-"
"Don't you get it? You said it yourself, if you're caught fraternising with me then this project is over and you're ruined," Bellatrix started, her voice clear and pragmatic as she simply listed on her fingers. "if they find out I'm a werewolf, this project is over and you're ruined because you knew my secret, but if I make a mistake it's what is expected. Think about it." Bellatrix frowned as Hermione crossed her arms, visibly upset with this decision. The dark witch sighed irritably, not understanding the pretty muggleborn's issue, the problem would be solved, why did it matter if she got into trouble for it, Hermione would be in the clear and her little 'cure the death eater' experiment would continue. Hermione was beginning to grate her nerves with her incessant overthinking and morality complex.
"How is that fair? You didn't attack me, you didn't do anything wrong, I-"
"Shut up!! For fuck sake, Granger, shut up! Have you got toads for brains? I'm not going to repeat myself. This is what has to happen, it solves the issue-"
"Can't you react normally for once? Why do you have to lash out and be so mean! I'm just trying to say I don't want you to-" Bellatrix snarled, eyes flashing yellow as she settles a dark glare on the brunette.
"Don't want me to, what? Be the bad guy? I'm already a monster, a death eater, the villain of this story, and you must be truly fucked in that little golden girl brain of yours if you keep forgetting that!" Hermione bristled, anger and frustration slipping into the sheets of their heated argument, and she snapped, twirling on Bellatrix vehemently.
"I can't forget it! It's all I've ever known of you!" Hermione snarled right back, arms crossing over her chest tightly as she lifted her chin and Bellatrix approached her with just as much venomous energy.
"Then fucking keep it that way you stupid mudblood!" The dark witch growled heatedly, thoughtlessly, eyes ablaze with golden embers and claws lengthening dangerously even as a cold arctic settled in Hermione's gaze at the slur, the brunette witch refusing to back down as Bellatrix snapped her teeth in her face, in fact she seemed to be emboldened by the act, her own fire raging harder.
"I can't do that either! I have a mission to complete, this all has a purpose, why can't you just accept help?" Hermione's voice grew heated as she shoved Bellatrix back slightly before jabbing a finger at the other girl's chest to accentuate her next points. "YOU are CHOOSING to be the bad guy, when you're NOT. How can you be okay with that? How can you be so stupid as to risk being seen as that, again!"
"Merlin, I can't fucking stand you, you know that?" Bellatrix spat scathingly, eye to eye with Hermione whose chest was heaving in exertion, shoulders ever so slightly trembling with her frustration, eyes like marbled, polished wood in the light filtering into the cabin.
"The feeling is incredibly mutual!" Hermione dug her nails into arms as she stared straight back at Bellatrix, the cumulation of emotions and pent up frustrations seemingly rising ever closer to a peak that she couldn't stop from coming, she grit her teeth as Bellatrix panted slightly, her dark hair tousled, and her eyes a smooth and silky pitch black and swirling with anger, confusion and … reflecting her own frustration. If Hermione wasn't so angry she would acknowledge the feeling of pixies fluttering in her stomach at their proximity and the way they were nose to nose and how despite it all, Bellatrix was still holding herself back with the way her eyes had changed back to black and her claws retracted and Hermione cursed whatever gods truly existed because she couldn't stop thinking about what Bellatrix had said to her back in the bedroom, nor the memories of Bellatrix's leg between her thigh, of her lips against her throat, her collarbone, her hand wrapped around her throat-
"Uh… am I interrupting?" Nymphadora's voice crashes over Hermione like ice water.
