Breaking the window: Expedition to Hyperborea

Chapter 26: A celebration is held...

"I don't think any of us fully realized just in what kind of predicament we were at the time. The damage to the ship's hull Unicornis Rex had inflicted was substantial and severe, but youthful exuberance and pure head-in-the-sand denial are surprisingly powerful forces. Regardless, we were dead in the water, frozen in a block of shifting ice and running fast out of options. It was on everybody's mind, though nobody would dare speak the words out loud. And then there was the little fact that the person whom had tried to murder Nymphadora and likely compelled Goneril to her untimely demise was still sharing a ship with us. We were all looking for distractions, anything to avoid confronting these harsh truths. Thankfully, Nymphadora and Goneril aimed to provide."

- Bellatrix Black, Expedition to Hyperborea, published 2006

Again, Hermione sound herself stood on deck. Though the cold was still biting as ever, causing her to pull her parka tighter around her, the air was clear as crystal for once and the fierce polar sun bore down upon them. All around her she could see the bay they were trapped in. A wasteland of snow-covered ice set against the higher areas of the island with only the peaks of some grey rocky terrain escaping the endless white. One could see for miles.

Which was a good thing. Unicornis Rex was still out there, after all. Conditions like these made a creature black as night stand out against the oppressive white and with Daelia in the crow's nest, it made it next to impossible for the creature to surprise them.

If the weather conditions stayed like this, of course. Which Hermione hoped they would.

The unicorn itself had made no further attempts to approach the Kingfisher, preferring to busy itself with hunting the local polar bear population instead. Hermione supposed it was hungry after being in that container for god knows how long. Still, it could be seen from a distance at most times of the day, usually in different spots. Hermione even shot plenty of photographs of it, along with the rest of that spectacular view.

Still, the unicorn and the disturbing fact that it seemed to be patrolling the area around the ship constantly wasn't the reason she and the others on board were now stood on the deck of the Kingfisher clad in their warmest clothes. Well… except for the Neo-Vikings as Sunniva and her two compatriots were still bare-armed, bare-midriffed and wore scalemail bikini's. Just looking at them made shivers run through her spine, though the Neo-Vikings simply went about their business unbothered by the cold due to their magical ancestry.

Of course, the focus of today was something very different. With the way things were going, the moment Hermione had heard the ship's bell, she immediately assumed something awful had happened again. When she had rushed to the deck earlier, she fully expected to see Unicornis Rex attacking the ship. Instead, she was met with a much more festive announcement.

The crew was gathered on deck and stood in neat rows, with the exception of Daelia who was in the crow's nest above. Irrena and Eliam were playing music, while three wasps were on top of the wheelhouse, in turn on top of a rug laid out for them so they could perch without their legs freezing stuck to the ice-cold deck. Zipper, however, had elected to simply park himself on Hermione's hood for now.

The captain faced the crew as he stood with his back to the wheelhouse and, in front of him, in between the crew and the captain were both Nymphadora and Goneril. Conspicuously absent were Eleanor and Chandra, though Hermione supposed they wouldn't exactly be welcome right now.

"Right," said Kirk. "Let's keep this short. We pulled a barrel of grog out of the rations for this, so we need to get to the celebration before this salty lot decides to mutiny and throw their dear captain overboard so they can finally get themselves rat-arsed in peace. Just the basics, like we discussed."

While most of the crew chuckled at the joke, Nymphadora and Goneril stood facing each other. Wearing parkas with hoods and being gloved were a far cry from the decadent and elaborate wedding gowns the Blacks were known for, but in this case it was not only practical but also fitting. They held hands, gloved hands. And as everything had be set up in a really big hurry, there'd been very little time to prepare. Though Bellatrix had transfigured an old belt-buckle into two rings. They were simple things, though Bellatrix had managed to make the metal as shiny as she could and even pulled off a nice relief in the rings resembling a carving. They weren't worth a penny, but she doubted the two brides cared.

While Kirk was going through the motions, Bellatrix shuffled close to Hermione. "Andie's going to be so pissed… I can't wait to see the look on her face," Bellatrix whispered with a giggle.

"No kidding," Hermione replied, biting her lip. "Still, this is all incredibly romantic, isn't it?"

"It'll be our turn in the summer. I mean, if we get this boat moving again before then," Bellatrix said.

"Hopefully far less cold," Hermione said. "Speaking of cold…"

She motioned to Sunniva and Tahki, stood on the other side of the deck. Though all the exposed skin on Sunniva also made Bellatrix shiver to look at, the parka-clad Tahki stood cuddled up against her with a broad blissful smile on her face. The kind of smile only seen on the faces of people in love. Sunniva often looked down at her with almost that exact same blissful smile.

"You saw that, huh?" Bellatrix winked.

"Hm-hmmm."

"Was only a matter of time."

Hermione did have a vital role to play for this wedding. She had the only proper camera on the ship, after all, and was only too happy to act as a wedding photographer. So far she'd been shooting loads of pictures, all to be loaded onto the laptop and she had promised herself that when they'd get back in England, she'd pick out the best ones and have them printed out on proper paper. They weren't going to be moving pictures, but she was certain that Nymphadora and Goneril would love to have some mementos of their wedding regardless.

She was still taking pictures when Kirk came to the best part.

"Nymphadora Black," he spoke. "Will you take Goneril Silverberry to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," said Nymphadora, still holding hands with Goneril.

"Goneril Silverberry," said Kirk. "Will you take Nymphadora Black to be your lawfully wedded wife?"

"I do," sniffed Goneril, tears in her eyes.

"Then… oh bloody hell, you know how the rest goes, let's get to the rings," said Kirk.

Zipper had been waiting for precisely this moment, antennae twitching impatiently until the word 'rings' was spoken. Zipper took off from Hermione's head and shot forward until he hovered in between Goneril and Nymphadora. Both women held out their gloved hands and waited for Zipper to drop the little cloth bag from his mandibles. After dropping his payload, Zipper flew up to the wheelhouse and landed next to the other wasps to observe.

Nymphadora and Goneril removed their gloves. After muttering a quick 'fuck, that's cold', Nymphadora opened the cloth bag, took Goneril's hand and gently slid the ring on her finger. Goneril did the same. And as soon as the deed was done, the gloves were on again.

"Right, you're wives," announced Kirk. "Now let's get into the grog before this lot start a plot to keelhaul me!"

Cheers and laugher sounded when the two brides kissed, with Hermione and Bellatrix at the head of the chorus. A loud 'Skål!' came from the Neo-Vikings. Hermione smiled when she considered just how little it mattered to the crew that Nymphadora had smuggled her girlfriend on board. It just went to show just how likable the crew found her to be and just how much Nymphadora had grown in so little time. Hermione wasn't going to lie: though she had always liked Nymphadora personally, Hermione had been a bit disdainful of the way she was wasting her life. That seemed to have taken a spectacular turn for the best.

Around her people were starting to drink. laugh and dance as the grog was being poured. Hermione was given a mug, one she put to her lips and felt the burn all the way down. Exactly what she needed in this cold weather. When the music swept up, Bellatrix grabbed her hand and goaded her into an impromptu dance. In the crowd, she could see Tahki and Sunniva were doing the same.

Honestly, it was moments like these that made Hermione feel alive again. Even here, in this frozen wasteland, there was joy to be found among friends and family. As well as the girl she loved most of all.

While the sounds of the celebrations sounded from above deck, two men whom had slipped away from the party now stood on the ice far below. Captain Kirk and Boatswain Beodul regarded the ship from a slight distance. The Kingfisher, now stranded in the ice in the middle of a flat plane, caught a lot of the blowing snow which needed to be cleared every day, a feat made much harder with one deck exposed to the elements.

Kirk's general mood was rather grim when once again surveying the substantial damage.

"Poor girl's crackled like an egg," muttered Beodul, equally grim.

An apt description. The orlop deck lay exposed by a hole big enough for a lorry to drive through, as Hermione had poetically put it. "Nymphadora did her job and had properly secured the volatile cargo. Problem was, it was secured against rocky seas and not rampaging monsters already inside the ship."

"Right," Beodul muttered. "Those cunts have a lot to answer for. Cap'n, I… Look, nobody's sayin' it, but everybody's thinking it. We're fucked sideways in all holes."

Kirk smirked. "Is that your professional opinion, Beodul?"

"My professional opinion, cap'n," said Beodul. "Is that we're in deep dragon shite. Look at the size of that hole. We used up most of our stores of liquid wood after the Neo-Viking attack. Ain't enough of the stuff left to fix a hole that size. Maybe if we use all of the furniture on top of some serious reparo, we'd fix the hole, but that ain't enough. The hull would be much weaker too."

"This far north, the ice never fully melts. We'd still need to break through it, even in summer," said Kirk.

"Not with that hull, we won't," said Beodul. "Explosion also took out the copper plating from the inside. Ain't no coming back from that."

Kirk sighed. Beodul was right. The copper plating was especially magically treated to resonate in concordance with the sanctum stone chamber to agitate the ice. The plating would protect the weaker parts of the hull while helping to smash through it in equal measure. While it could still work without a sanctum stone, it would not work if both sides of the ship's plating weren't in harmonic balance. A reparo spell couldn't put it back together and simply putting the shattered pieces back onto the hull to cover up wouldn't work because it wouldn't waterproof.

"That's not all," Beodul added. "As if what I just told ye wasn't enough scabrous shite! Look at the crossbeams at the side of the loading shaft. One is splintered, one is charred and one is cracked in three places."

Now that was worst of all. The crossbeams in between decks kept the ship together, served as load bearers and shock breakers while carving through the ice. If those had been damaged… "Structural integrity has been compromised," muttered Kirk.

Beodul knelt down and placed his hand on the frozen ground. "Don't look like it, but this ice is always moving. It's thick, snow makes it thicker. Now that the ship has been compromised… Cap'n, we won't last three months. Ship'll be crushed in three weeks, maybe four, I'd wager. As for the damage, we need a bloody dry dock to get all this damage repaired proper."

"You're right," said Kirk, closing his eyes and rolling his head back. "We're in trouble."

"Cap'n, what are we going to do?" asked Beodul. His calm demeanour didn't belie the anxiety which washed over the goblin in that moment: he'd been sailing all his life and he would know when a situation was dire.

"A very good question," said Kirk in response, looking at the damage again. "I do not have a satisfying answer. Not yet. Beodul, I don't want to spoil the happy mood of the wedding and the ship won't be crushed tomorrow. But I'm aware that we'll have to make a decision very soon."

These windswept frigid lands, the beautiful and dangerous endless white which had claimed so many lives before them. Still, they were wizards so they had a bigger chance to survive than most. If they decided to, they could load up the longboats with supplies and make for Prince of Wales Island in the hopes to find shelter. Or trek further north to one of the Inuit settlements where they could radio muggles for help. Bugger the secrecy statute at this point. Of course, he gazed in the distance and saw a coal-black speck stand out against the white. That was a rather deadly complication to an already deadly situation.

"All because those two scabrous cunts smuggled a monster on board," Beodul snarled. "Not nary a single thought for any of us! Say what you will about Nymphadora smuggling her girlie on board, but at least she thought of all of us by over-ordering food! I swear, I get my hands on those cunts, I'll…"

"You'll do nothing, Beodul," said Kirk. "You're better than them."

Beodul grumbled a little, crossing his arms while taking another look at the ship. "It's just a bloody shame, Cap'n," he said. "To lose the old girl to this bollocks."

Kirk nodded. "That it is, Beodul. That it is. Oh, since I'm lending my quarters to Nymphadora and her bride for the wedding night, do you still have that fold-out cot in your cabin?"

Beodul nodded. "Yeah. But ye should know, cap'n. Grog makes me fart somethin' fierce."

"You'd better not," snorted Kirk, a smile etched on his grizzled face. "Or you'll be sleeping in the corridor."

When the celebrations inevitably moved below deck, everybody found themselves in the mess hall where Haema happily served dinner to go with the grog. Though still rationed, again Haema had made the most out of the little things she was allowed to work with. Delicious Yorkshire pudding along with peas and baked potatoes, a hearty British dinner of which Hermione savoured every single bite.

It was scant a few moments later that Hermione, along with the rest of the cheering crew, were witness to a push-up contest between Bellatrix… and the three Neo-Viking women. Muscles flexed and bodies fell and raised themselves up again rhythmically. All around her, bets were being made while Hermione regarded the spectacle with much amusement. Sunniva, Svari and Gudrun kept going and going and going. Bellatrix, in contrast, while in great shape, was obviously falling behind and starting to struggle. Bellatrix, now far past her limits, refused to give in to her own detriment. As she was wont to do.

The ever helpful Zipper decided to cheer his friend on and promptly landed on her head in an attempt to support her.

"Zipper!" wailed Bellatrix. "Stop making me heavier!"

Hermione grinned wickedly. It was nothing short of the sweetest of revenge to see Bellatrix struggle so. They were approaching the count of three-hundred push-ups and the Neo-Viking women were still going strong. But Bellatrix? Poor Bellatrix lost rhythm with the rest of the women and started pushing herself up slower and slower, until she finally gave in and collapsed onto the deck, her cheek mushing against the wood at the count of 312.

"The Mortal Valkyrie is better at flying than she is at push-ups!" Svari announced to the laughter of the crowd… as she did another effortless set of push-ups.

The push-up contest was still going on when Bellatrix was picked up off the floor by Nymphadora. After a nod from her, Hermione followed with Tahki in tow. Together they walked to the aft of the ship, to the now empty crew lounge they had all to themselves. The sounds of the celebration and the cheers from the contest could still be heard, only slightly muffled. Drenched in sweat, Bellatrix draped herself over the sofa and panted loudly while Tahki found a lazy chair. The other sofa was claimed by both Hermione and Nymphadora.

"Just… just let me catch my breath," Bellatrix sighed, her chest heaving. "That was…"

"Trix, you lost a push-up contest against three hardened Neo-Viking warrior women who have been training for combat their entire lives," Hermione raised an eyebrow. "What were you expecting?"

Bellatrix pouted slightly. "At least I was impressive, right?"

"Well, I'm certainly impressed by the pungent odour of your exertions," Hermione returned with a raised eyebrow.

"Oooof," Nymphadora chuckled while Tahki hissed through her teeth.

"Yeah, well…" Bellatrix raised her chin imperiously. "Maybe I let them win, you know? So they wouldn't feel inferior! Benevolent Bella, that's me! Always thinking of others!"

"Uh-huh," Hermione rolled her eyes. "This is payback for all those times you laughed at me when I collapsed on the floor next to you!"

"Still did ten times more push-ups than your paltry thirty. THIRTY!" Bellatrix snorted. "Stick girl. Do you even lift?"

"You know I don't, Trix," Hermione glared.

Nymphadora crossed her arms and grinned at the spectacle before her. She nonchalantly threw her legs over the armrest of the sofa and lay her back and head down of the seat cushion. "This what I have to look forward to in married life?"

It was then that Hermione picked up an empty can stood on the coffee table and threw it at Bellatrix. Not hard enough to hurt, but not soft enough to be comfortable either. It slammed against her shoulder and bounced off to the floor where it rolled until it came to a stop at the bar. "Hey!" exclaimed Bellatrix. "What was that for?!"

"I can't believe you haven't told me about Goneril and Nymphadora," Hermione narrowed her eyes. "You've obviously known for months! How long as it been going on?!"

"Two years, give or take," said Nymphadora.

"Two years?!" Hermione blinked. "You've known for two years!?"

Two more cans went airborne swiftly after that.

"Ow, hey!" exclaimed Bellatrix. "Hermie, no!"

"Whoa, Hermione, give your head a wobble and stop throwing those tins about, yeah?" said Nymphadora. "Bella only found out by accident by walking in on us. Must have been few weeks before we boarded the ship, yeah? Don't be angry at her, because I made Bella swear to secrecy, and you know how Bella is with promises. She's been dead sound about protecting our secret, mate!"

"She also promised me there'd be no more secrets between us!" Hermione glowered.

"I swear down, I'll make it up to you!" Bellatrix pouted.

Hermione then sighed. "You know what, I get it. It's a relationship between a family member and a staff member, forbidden love and all the issues that come with that and, bloody hell, I do worry for your lives when Andromeda finds out about this."

"You know what, fuck all that noise!" said Tahki. "Nymph, I can't believe you haven't told me! We're best friends and best cousins and you kept me in the dark about everything!"

Nymphadora snorted in response, throwing her legs back to the side and pressing her back against the seat cushion. A smirk appeared on her face. "Tahki, you're a fucking chin-wag. You'd have told mum about it through smoke signals the next day!"

Tahki shook her head. "You know what, this is an absolute betrayal! I told you about all my conquests, every single one in every sordid detail! And if you had just told me you were boinking Goneril on the side, I'd have less reason to make fun of you for never getting any!"

Nymphadora and Hermione shared a look. "Oh?" said Nymphadora. "Told me everything have you? Every single conquest? So when were you going to tell us all about you and Sunniva, hm?"

Tahki blinked, but the blood rushing to her cheeks laid the entire truth bare. "I… There is nothing going on between me and Sunni… Absolutely nothing…" she spoke, rather softly and unconvincingly.

"Lies!" Bellatrix pressed with a grin, something Nymphadora nodded along with in agreement.

"Oh, come off it," Nymphadora grinned. "When the bell rang and you appeared on deck, it was obvious to everyone the both of you were fresh of a shag! Dishevelled hair, clothes put on wonky, that subtle look of blissful shame in your eyes. And your undershirt is on backwards!"

Hermione rather uncharacteristically decided to throw some oil on the fire. "Not to mention the two of you were eyeing each other up all the time. We also saw you dance together on deck. But we're not making fun of you, Tahki. We're happy for you and Sunniva. She's a good and honourable woman, especially for a Neo-Viking."

"Oi!" winked Nymphadora. "We can be happy for her and make fun of her at the same time! And I suggest we do that in spades."

Tahki grunted in annoyance. "Since when are you a lesbian anyway?" she shot back.

Nymphadora shrugged. "I've always been a lezzer."

Tahki threw her arms up. "Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Because it's none of your business, chief Sitting Nosey-Git!"

Tahki opened her mouth to say something, but then froze. Her eyes darted from Bellatrix, to Hermione, to Nymphadora and back to Bellatrix. Some sort of horrible revelation had come over her. One big enough to challenge her entire core belief system. "Wait. Wait. STOP! So… if you're gay now, Nymph. And you two are gay. And now… I'm gay. Holy shit, it is contagious! Fox News was right all along!"

Nymphadora snorted. "Nah, mate, you were always gay. Sure, you slept with a lot of blokes and I do mean a lot of fucking blokes, but that's just because of the woman-shaped void in your soul you've been trying to fill with casual sex even though it only ever left you more and more empty inside with every bloke you shagged."

Tahki blinked. "Jesus, Nymph!" she exclaimed. "What the fuck was that?!"

A broad grin formed on her lips before Nymphadora spoke again. "Only joshing, chief. You're probably just bi, s'all."

Bellatrix shifted to pat her cousin on the shoulder. "You won't get any judgment from us, Tahki," said Bellatrix. "And Sunniva looks like a good match for you, really. She might be a bit straight-laced, but bloody hell is she a person of devotion."

"Tell me about it," Tahki smiled. "She gave me her axe when I was dying, so that I could have her seat at Odin's table. Of course, that's… not real… but she believes it. Enough to face that unicorn monster with bare fists. When she told me I… I just kissed her. It was pure instinct, man. I've never been in love, I think, until now. And she said she's going to build us both a longhouse when we go back to Montana."

Bellatrix frowned. "I thought you wanted to stay in the UK for the time being," asked Bellatrix, sounding a bit disappointed. "Are you planning to go back home to Montana with Sunniva?"

Tahki bit her lip. "I… just don't know yet," she sighed. "I suppose Sunni could build us a longhouse right next to Catterborough Woodhouse instead."

Nymphadora snorted through her nose. "Nan would be amused by that, not sure mum will be."

"She's going to build us a house with her own two hands!" Tahki exclaimed. "Who does that?! Nobody does that! And here is a woman who just promised it on her word and, fuck me, I believe her! Best thing I ever got out of a man was a used condom!"

"Is that really the best thing a man could give you?" Hermione said with raised eyebrow.

Tahki ignored the barb and leaned forward, lost in thought. "Sunni's lost everything," said Tahki. "And I think she sees in me a reason to keep going. I promised her a chance to make a new life for herself at gramps' ranch. So she could earn a place alongside my family. When I made that promise, I didn't think she would become family."

"Well, if you go back to Montana," Hermione pressed. "Could you please take Dumb and Dumber with you? I'm already tired of those two standing vigil outside my cabin and Bellatrix doesn't need two bodyguards constantly following her around back at Catterborough Woodhouse."

"I believe the term you're looking for is 'housecarls'," Bellatrix smiled.

"I don't care what you call them!" Hermione retorted. "Say goodbye to Svari and Gudrun when this trip is over, because you're not bringing them home with us!"

"Why not?!" Bellatrix pouted.

"They're not stray dogs! And it should be bloody obvious why not!" Hermione huffed. It was infuriating why Bellatrix simply wouldn't understand. So she crossed her arms and glared at her for good measure. By now, Tahki and Nymphadora both sat up a little closer, being way too interested for Hermione's liking.

"Jealous?" winked Nymphadora. Instantly, Hermione snapped her head and shot her an icy glare. Bellatrix took that moment to get up, rush to the sofa and plop herself onto Hermione's lap, eliciting a big 'ooof' from the surprised Hermione. Bellatrix quickly wrapped an arm around Hermione's shoulder and lay her other hand on her cheek, rubbing gently.

"You'll always be my number one, Hermie," Bellatrix husked and gently lay Hermione's head against her chest while she gently stroked messy brown hair.

Though Hermione closed her eyes in contentment and enjoyed the closeness, it was no reason to let Bellatrix off the hook just yet. "Oh, so Dumb and Dumber will be number two and three then? Is that how it's going to be?" she said with a slightly wary tone.

It was, of course, at this point that the ever tactical and utterly diplomatic Nymphadora decided to throw some oil on the fire and did so with a big grin on her face. "Sounds like our dear Bellatrix here is angling for a foursome!"

Hermione blinked. Bellatrix chuckled. "Wellll…" said Bellatrix, tightening her grip around Hermione. "I wouldn't say 'no'."

"Absolutely not! Not happening! No way! Ew! How could you even think about it?!" Hermione exclaimed, perhaps a little too quickly for the rest of the room. Nymphadora and Tahki shared an amused look in response.

"I am not hearing any of this," Tahki smiled.

"Oh, I am definitely hearing this! You sucked off two Scots in a nightclub bathroom, Pocahontas, you don't get a say here," Nymphadora exclaimed. "Now, Hermione, while you did just make a very, very vocal condemnation out of your mouth, the blush on your face and that very brief but noticeable dreamy look in your eyes rather tells me that you might yet be interested in having two tall, strong, usually scantily clad buxom long-haired warrior women join you and Bellatrix in your bed for a night long no-holding back toe-curling explode your brain sex-fest between four consenting and willing lesbian adults, or am I wrong here?"

"Hmmm…" Bellatrix winked.

"Come on!" Hermione explained. "How do you know Svari and Gudrun are even lesbians?"

"Ehm, look at them?" Nymphadora raised an eyebrow.

Tahki snorted. "They're bondmates. Have been since they became shield-maidens. Sunniva told me."

"See?" added Nymphadora for emphasis. "Besides, I've seen them snogging in the corridor right before they headed into their cabin."

Great. Just great. Now Dumb and Dumber had become even bigger threats. Two admittedly attractive women-loving women with strong convictions and a zealous belief in Norse religion who believed that Bellatrix has been elevated into divinity because she literally killed one of their gods gushing over a women-loving girl who enjoyed having her ego stroked. Wonderful combination right there. Just wonderful. All the more reason for Hermione to stake her claim.

"Of course, it is my lap Bellatrix is sat on right now, so… suck it, Neo-Viking scum! I'm Hermione Fucking Granger!" Hermione spoke resolutely, possessively kissing Bellatrix on the mouth.

Nymphadora and Tahki shared a grin. "Fifty of your American pesos says that foursome will happen before the week is out now that we're icebound and going to be bored as all fuck," said Nymphadora.

"You're on."

Hermione grumbled. "Dora, why are you here pestering us?! Don't you have a bride to annoy in the messhall?"

Nymphadora smirked. "Oh, I'll be spending some quality time with Rilly very soon, in the Captain's Quarters no less, for our wedding night. I think this is a good moment for our crewmates to get to know her now that she no longer needs to hide. And a party is generally a good place to get to know someone. I'll be spending more than enough time with her later, like I said."

"Surprisingly mature attitude," said Tahki. "Who are you, and what have you done with Nymph?"

While Nymphadora was laughing, Bellatrix shifted a little on Hermione's lap and put a finger to her lips. "Speaking about Goneril," said Bellatrix. "I have been wondering about something. I mean, we all know that Goneril opened the crate with the unicorn in it, but I can't figure out why she actually did it."

Hermione nodded. "Despite the obvious and startling change of subject Trix has managed to pull off," started Hermione. "She raises a good point and it's a question nobody seems to be asking. Why did Goneril go out to the orlop deck to open that crate?"

Nymphadora bit her lip. "I don't know," she said. "Rilly doesn't know either. I talked to her about it, but she only said she was hearing voices. And that those voices compelled her to open the crate. Maybe the unicorn somehow lured her to the crate? I mean, she was near it a lot when she hid out on the lower decks with me."

Hermione shook her head. "Doesn't make sense. Why her, not you? I mean you spent just as much time below decks and around the cargo as she has, if not more. And why not any other crew member? Hell, Trix and I have a personal history with the creature. If it had somehow compelled someone to get it out, it could have us. But no."

"Rilly said that when the unicorn woke up, it was confused and started to trash the deck to escape," said Nymphadora. "Doesn't sound like it would be coherent enough to actually compel someone to do anything."

"Hearing voices," Bellatrix muttered. "Voices that compel you. That sounds like a variant of the imperius curse, if you ask me. People who've been under such compulsion driven spells experience voices in their head demanding them to do certain things. Eventually the voices drown out all other reasoning and you'll do just about anything to get them stop."

Hermione thought a moment. "Okay, let's think about this. If we go with the thought that Goneril had been put under a curse, three questions remain. Who, why and when? I find the timing rather odd as it happened the very day that captain Kirk announced we were icebound. Let's start with the who."

"Nobody knew Rilly was on board the ship!" Nymphadora exclaimed. "Zipper got close to finding out, but I was the only one!"

"You didn't cast that curse and none of us did," said Tahki. "So it stands to reason that someone else knew… and decided to keep quiet about it."

"So they could have a trump card," said Bellatrix, snapping her findings. "Compelling curses can lie dormant for weeks, months or even years. There were plenty of times when Dora left the lower decks and Goneril'd be there all alone. Someone could have simply snuck up on her and put a curse in her head at any time during the trip."

"Not any time," said Hermione. "She only got on board after we docked at Nova Scotia. Still, you raise a good point. The why of it is another big question. What's the reason for releasing that thing? What's the point of it?"

"Disabling the ship, maybe?" said Bellatrix. "That hole in the hull. I'm no sailor, but I know we're not fixing that soon."

"And let's not forget that my neck now sports a nasty-yet-cool looking scar," muttered Nymphadora. "It could be the same fucking arse-face who did that what also put a curse on Rilly."

"A murderer, a liar, a curser, a saboteur," said Hermione. "Not necessarily the same person either. We have to keep our eyes open."

"Bet it's that fucking Eleanor," Nymphadora narrowed her eyes. "She'd sacrifice all of us in a heartbeat if it'd bring her one inch closer to Hyperborea! And she knew the unicorn was on board. Hell, she and her buxom butt-buddy brought it on board!"

Tahki shook her head. "Why would she sabotage her own mission? If she wants the glory of finding the lost city, she'd need to have a ship to go back to tell people about it and not be stuck dying on the ice. That said, I don't trust Chandra in all of this. She's always skulking in the shadows and picking fights."

"With you, you mean?" Bellatrix winked. "Nah, doubt it would be her. She reminds me of one of those orbiters we had back in Slytherin while I was at school. You know the type. Weak-willed cowardly people who attach themselves to stronger wizards of witches so they can benefit from coasting off their success. They're like those little fish that attach themselves to sharks. Plenty of people actually tried that with me. And what would her motivation even be?"

"Point is, it could be anyone," Hermione sighed. "Even one of the crew. Or the captain."

"Nah, not Kirk!" said Nymphadora emphatically. "No fucking way. I refuse to believe it. Didn't you see how livid Kirk was when he found out the unicorn had been smuggled on board? You don't fake shit like that."

"You only say that because you don't want to believe it," said Bellatrix. "Hermione's point stands. It could be anyone outside of the four of us."

"And Sunni!" Tahki raised her chin, challenging the others. "She's far too honourable to skulk around putting curses on people!"

Nymphadora chuckled, formed her hands into an 'O' shape with her thumb and index fingers and smashed them together repeatedly for good measure, much to Tahki's ire.

Hermione ignored it and shook her head. "We can only really trust the four of us," she said. "And all we can do is keep our eyes open. We'll be spending months cooped up here. Plenty of time to keep an eye out for clues."

"So we're just going to hope they'll slip up?" asked Bellatrix. "I'm the ship's chronicler. I could subtly slip in some questions here and there, maybe."

Before Hermione could answer that Bellatrix wasn't nearly as subtle as she thought she was, Zipper came buzzing into the crew lounge with full speed. He curved in the air and deftly landed on Bellatrix' lap to neatly nestle himself in between his two friends. After getting comfortable, he fluttered his wings and drooped his antennae. It seemed their wasp friend was in need of warm bodies to nap on.

"Oh, hey, Hermione and Bellatrix are already in a threesome with Zipper."

"A strictly platonic one," chuckled Hermione. "Just as our relationship with Dumb and Dumber will be."

"Alright, keys to the kingdom," said Kirk as he led Nymphadora and her bride in. With the party over and Goneril generally being well-liked by the crew, proverbial night-time had fallen over the ship. Not that one could tell, considering the light of the midnight sun still shone through cracks between the curtains darkening the captain's quarters. "As customary, the captain gives up his quarters to the newly weds for their wedding night. Just, uhm, do me a favour and scourgify my bed in the morning."

"I promise," chuckled Nymphadora. "You'll be bunking with Beodul, I've heard. I hope he doesn't snore too loudly."

"He doesn't," Kirk muttered. "He just farts."

"Ouch."

Kirk pointed to the table while he stood at the door. "That bottle of whiskey on the table is yours to drink, but don't feel obligated to drink the whole thing. Something tells me you'd prefer to remember your wedding night."

"Righto, thanks Captain."

"Don't mention it," said Kirk. "See you tomorrow."

"I'll be all shagged out," Nymphadora chuckled at her own joke, to which Kirk only rolled his eyes in bemusement.

"I should feel more sorry for you," Kirk told Goneril before he left. "You're the one married to this scoundrel now."

The captain's quarters were nice and comfortable and the bed right opposite to the captain's desk looked to be larger and more comfortable than the one down in her own digs. Of course, with that hole in the side of the ship, temperatures down there weren't exactly comfortable, not to mention unsafe. As such, she and Rilly would be moving to one of the spare crew quarters after tonight. "This is a bit of alright, isn't it?" said Nymphadora as she poured two shot glasses.

"Very nice," said Goneril. Clad in a black shirt and matching trousers, the long black hair almost blending into the colours of the fabric. Goneril had always been an attractive girl, not only buxom, but both clever and kind. Smart enough to poke through Nymphadora's bullshit, that was sure. The two of them sat down and drank a shot of whiskey. It burned all the way down to her stomach and Goneril suppressed a cough, deciding that a single shot was enough. Nymphadora, of course, poured another one.

"Sorry it's not a romantic getaway for two in a cabin in the Swiss Alps, like I promised you, Rilly," Nymphadora chuckled.

"Well, we're in a wooden structure, there's a lit fireplace and there's a lot of snow outside," winked Goneril. "One can hardly tell the difference."

Nymphadora put down her glass and looked her fresh new wife in the eye. "What's wrong?"

"Hm?" Rilly started. "Oh, Dori, I… Nothing… well… it's just not fully sunk in yet that we're actually wives now. But… I keep thinking about my sisters. What'll happen to them once it gets known that we are wed? Will they face Madame Black's wrath? Not to mention my parents. They don't deserve to get punished for decisions we made."

"Come here," whispered Nymphadora. She stood up from the table and embraced her bride with one arm, her other hand gently cupping in her chin. "My mum isn't a monster and she'll come around. She always does. Your sisters are safe in our household and will always be. The Black family looks out for their staff, just ask Sebastian. We choose for ourselves. And it took a fucking unicorn dragging you out into the Arctic wastes for me to give my head a wobble, yeah? So come here, Mrs. Black. We'll fact the future together, come what may."

"You," Rilly embraced her and gently pushed her towards the bed. "You've changed so much in the last few months."

"I'm still the Dori you love, right?" Nymphadora chuckled, albeit a bit uneasily.

"I've never loved you more," Rilly giggled when Nymphadora grabbed her and let the both of them fall onto the admittedly soft bed. The bed protested with a harsh creak, but thankfully held: she'd rather have to explain to Kirk why his bed was in two pieces the next morning. Rilly gently pressed her lips on hers and invaded her mouth with her tongue. Nymphadora kissed her back with all the passion she could muster.

"A weird thought just crossed my mind," Nymphadora said.

"Oh?" asked Rilly.

"Yeah. All the people shagging right now are women. That's weird, innit?"

"Who's shagging?" asked Rilly.

"Well, Bellatrix and Hermione for one. Because they're Bellatrix and Hermione and they shag like bunnies, yeah?" Nymphadora laughed. "Tahki and Sunniva, definitely. Don't know Sunniva, but I do know that Pocahontas shags like a bunny and I am fully expecting our big blonde Neo-Viking lady to go with the flow. And then there's Svari and Gudrun. They look like the type that shag like bunnies and it's not like they have anything to lose right now. And then there's us. We also shag like bunnies. Plenty of pre-marital sex has been had past the two years, yeah?"

"Well then," grinned Rilly as Nymphadora rolled her to her back and pinned her down on the bed. "We'll have to put in some extra effort to make tonight especially memorable."

"Right!" Nymphadora grinned. Her hands found the hem of Rilly's shirt and raised it to expose creamy soft skin. A trail of kisses was softly led around her belly button. "Get our your crackin' tits out, mum!"

Giggles soon evolved into sighs, moans and loud declarations of eternal undying love.

In safety, privacy and warmth of their own cozy cabin, Bellatrix and Hermione experienced an oasis of bliss amid a storm of sexual ecstasy. Bellatrix straddled her girl as she lay face down on the bed, slowly sliding her hands over the soft skin of her back from shoulders to small and back again. She was pleased that, judging by the small, blissful mews coming out of Hermione's mouth as she lay there unmoving with her eyes closed and her teeth biting into the pillow, her ministrations were having the desired effect.

Of course, the fact that Hermione had shifted her arm and her good hand was now between her body and the mattress, Bellatrix had a fairly good idea why Hermione's breathing had quickened. That only meant Bellatrix had to keep up.

Her own skin was moist, sweat now cooling in the air and her curly hair slightly was slightly matted. Delicious ideas entered her mind; yes, she would drag her equally sweaty girl to the shower. The small shower they barely fit in together. Warm water falling down on them while they would soap each other up, their soaped up bodies pressing together. Slippery hands everywhere. And then going to bed refreshed and blissful.

Oh, and she should bring the strap-on. Yes, she should definitely bring the strap-on to the shower. Hermione should definitely bring the strap-on to the shower. And then vigorously use it on her. Repeatedly.

Blissful thoughts of strap-on madness proved to be a distraction. So Bellatrix was especially surprised to the point of letting out a surprised yelp when Hermione shifted underneath her, sat up, grabbed her by the shoulders and spun her around to throw her with her back onto the mattress. With the wind knocked out of her, she weakly tried to sit up only to be roughly pushed back to the bed by her shoulders. Hermione pinned her down by lying on top of her, then shifted her weight. When Hermione plunged silver fingers deep inside of her, any protests and suggestions to move this party to the shower died on her lips, soon to be replaced by moans coming from the depths of her lungs.

Hermione's silver fingers were always colder than the rest of her body. Bellatrix' warm burning flesh felt every inch of them as they mercilessly penetrated her depths, crooking at just the right moment and right angle to find her most sensitive spot. Her Hermione, apt as she was, had turned the art of lovemaking into a sheer science and was always striving for perfection. And Bellatrix was only too happy to be her lab rat. Well... as long as she got her turn to play as well, of course. Deeper and deeper her pleasure was delved by silver fingers, louder and louder her moans became. Bellatrix grabbed hold of Hermione's arm, fingers digging into her flesh. Her free hand found Hermione's soft breast and kneaded that soft treasure with gentle abandon.

She could feel the heat of Hermione's womanhood sliding over her thigh. Back and forth. Back and forth. Seeking the wonderful friction of Bellatrix' soft skin as she bucked her hips rhythmically. Her own breath quickened, her own demeanour becoming blissful. And yet, the silver fingers were unrelenting. Both of them were so close now. Amid the deluge of pleasure, they locked eyes. And Bellatrix saw nothing short of blissful love in those sweet brown eyes. That was the moment the both of them cried out together and collapsed onto the bed into a panting, naked and blissful mess of post-coital bliss.

Bellatrix was barely able to move. No shower then. Shame. But they would save that for the morning.

Panting and laying in each other's arms, Bellatrix cuddled up against Hermione and kissed her on the lips for good measure. Her warmth, her closeness never stopped being so intoxicating. Hermione was a gift. And as they lay there, cuddled up together with legs intertwined after an intimate moment, Bellatrix could only think just how lucky she had been to have met her.

"Do you forgive me?" asked Bellatrix, adopting a pouty expression.

"Hm?"

"For keeping secrets from you," explained Bellatrix.

Hermione smiled briefly, running a hand through curly hair. "You have noble intentions," said a very tired sounding Hermione. "Not harm was done."

"I'm glad," said Bellatrix. However, that did leave her with quite a dilemma. Many weeks ago, Bellatrix' actions had led to a wholly new and rather spectacular secret she was hiding from Hermione and, if Hermione had been male, she would have had more plausible deniability. But she was not and Bellatrix had played a very active role. To be honest, Bellatrix was surprised that Hermione hadn't figured it out yet. Morning sickness had become a common occurrence, even she admitted to having started to eat strange combinations of foods. There had been mood swings… well, more mood swings than usual. Still, they were going to be ice-bound for months and it wouldn't be long until her belly would start giving the secret way.

She had to tell Hermione. It would be far less worse than Hermione finding out on her own.

Bellatrix closed her eyes. She knew why she did it. The Black family always had big families young, until fairly recent, so for her family a pregnancy at her age wasn't all that uncommon. But Hermione had expressed doubts and concern, often urging them to wait, saying they weren't ready or what-not. And here Bellatrix had forced the issue. On a boat. Above the Arctic circle. During a dangerous expedition.

Bellatrix took a deep breath, hugged Hermione tightly and fought her nerves when she started to speak. "Hermie, I… I'm carrying your child. I used a potion and… I didn't tell you. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but… you're going to be a mum, Hermie! We're both going to be mums! I did it because I love you and I hate seeing you hurting in any way. And it's going to make everything better, you'll see!"

Silence.

Bellatrix cringed and braced for the worst, squeezing her eyes more shut.

"Hermie?"

Again, silence.

When she finally dared to open her eyes, Bellatrix could only sigh. Hermione lay cuddled against her still, but her eyes were closed and she breathed in a rhythmic steady pattern. Trust Hermione to fall asleep right before a heartfelt confession.

Well, they did have a long and sensuous session of amazing sex that lasted… two hours, it seemed, after quickly checking the clock and she was feeling rather tired herself. Still, it'd probably be some time before she'd manage to gather the courage to tell Hermione the truth for a second times. Besides, she thought while sliding a hand over her abdomen. There were a few weeks still before any visible changes.

A quick glance over to Zipper's carrier on top of the closet revealed a snoozing wasp. Not even Zipper had been witness to her confession.

Bellatrix sighed and merely tightened her grip around Hermione. There would be another time. Though the uncertainty about what Hermione's reaction could be meant she didn't find sleep easily.