Hermione wakes up drenched in sweat. In part, it's due to the excessive amount of covers Bellatrix likes on the bed, and the woman herself draped over Hermione's body. Mostly, though, it's because of the dream that has roused her from what had been a deep sleep up until that point.
Unable to quite put her finger on it, she's left with a vague sense of loss. Like she's missing something. Her session with Narcissa three days ago had revealed much about her life, but there is something niggling in the back of her mind that she just can't reach. She knows it must be important, but what is it?
"Go back to sleep," Bellatrix mumbles, her sleepy morning voice vibrating against Hermione.
"I need some fresh air." Hermione gently rolls the still half-asleep woman off of her, leaning down to kiss her cheek. "I'll be back, okay?"
"Don't be long. Miss you."
Hermione grins down at the witch, who snuffles slightly, and then settles back into her dreams, hugging Hermione's pillow to her. Quietly, she eases herself from the bed and throws on her clothes from yesterday, shoving her feet into socks and then her black boots, not taking the time to lace them. The ship sways gently, but the movement is not rough enough to worry about needing to keep herself steady.
With one last look at the witch laying in the bed, she opens the door and slips outside into the small corridor. Instinct takes her to the shared accomodation quarters. She peers through the doorway to where everyone is sleeping, with the exception of Draco who must be up on deck, and Luna. The blonde never keeps to a normal sleep schedule though, so this is not unusual.
Happy that her daughter is sleeping peacefully, Hermione turns and finds her way through the dimly lit walkways to the steps and climbs up onto the deck. As expected, Draco is at the helm, one hand at the wheel as he stares into the distance. They are miles away from any city and these waters are usually calm, so it's not surprising he wears a peaceful expression. She raises a hand and gives him a brief wave, but doesn't detour to the stern of the ship, choosing to head forward towards the bow.
Luna is already sitting in her favourite spot, on one of the folded sails that are not in use. As Hermione approaches, she's greeted with a smile, and Luna waves her wand, drying the dew off of the sail next to her so Hermione can sit down.
"What's troubling you, Hermione?"
Hermione sits down before answering, leaning back on her hands and stretching her legs out in front of her. "How did you know something is bothering me?" she asks curiously.
"You don't normally leave Bellatrix's cabin this early." Luna peers up at her, and Hermione feels a ready blush heating her cheeks, even though they have done nothing but sleep at night so far. Luna grins at her discomfort. "Also, your aura is off. Something is worrying you."
Hermione holds her hand up to the pale-grey sky and tries to see the energy fields that Luna has been attempting to teach her about, but her hand just looks like that; a hand. No glowy aura surrounding it and no flash of colour to analyse. "I still can't see a thing," Hermione grumbles, buying herself time. Judging by the raised eyebrow in her direction, Luna is not about to let her get away with her admittedly obvious distraction technique.
Sighing, Hermione sits upright, crossing her legs and turns to her friend. "I don't know how to explain it," she begins, encouraged by the warmth on Luna's face. "I feel like I still don't know everything. Like I am missing the final piece of the puzzle that is my life."
"And you had a dream that unsettled you," Luna states rather than asks. "Do you want to tell me about it?"
Not bothering to ask how Luna knows this, Hermione shrugs. "That's the thing, Luna. I have no idea what I was dreaming."
Luna nods seriously. "All you were left with was the echo and not the sound," she says cryptically, but somehow it makes complete sense and Hermione gives her a relieved smile.
"Exactly."
"You need to see Narcissa again. Explain it to her, and if she knows there is something else then she will know to look deeper. I believe she didn't want to be too intrusive the first time she looked at your thoughts. It's a very intimate thing to allow someone into your mind."
"Yeah, I think I already knew that," Hermione admits quietly. "But I'm scared of what I will find out. This has all been such a shock as it is."
"The truth is always better than an illusion of the truth," Luna advises, laying down on the sail and staring up at the sky. Hermione follows her lead, laying down next to the blonde witch.
"So I should face it head on?" Hermione asks rhetorically, unsurprised when all she receives is a hum of agreement. She doesn't want Narcissa to go poking around in her memories again, but Luna is right. She needs to face this. "I'll go and see her later," she says firmly.
"Good. Now, let's try again. I know you have the ability, Hermione. It's radiating from you."
Resigned to another lesson - that's all she seems to do these days - she holds her hand up against the sky, and tries to relax. She takes a calming breath slowly in, holds it for a count of four seconds just like Luna has taught her, and then slowly exhales for another count of four. Her hand shimmers in the early morning light, and she squeals excitedly. "I see it! I think I see it!"
"Move your fingers closer together and then move them apart," Luna encourages, putting her own hand in the air as an example. "Watch the energy grow and stretch between your fingers."
Hermione follows her instructions, but the moment has gone and the smile drops from her face. She slaps her hand down on the sail next to her, a frustrated sigh spilling from her lips.
"Don't give up, Hermione," Luna chides gently. "You've seen it once, which means you know that you can see it again. Think of it like a muscle. You know how to use it now, but you need to practise to make it stronger. You are brimming with ability, Hermione. You have an innate magic that has not been seen for many years. With time and practice, you will be more powerful than all of us combined."
Bolstered by Luna's confidence in her, she holds her hand up to the sky again, focusing on her breathing and trying to see her own energy field. By the time they finish the exercise the sun is high in the sky and they have both missed breakfast. Stomachs rumbling, they finally get up and head down to the common room for lunch.
The atmosphere in the common room is light. Andromeda is up on deck at the helm, but everyone else is squeezed around the table, tucking into a small feast that Harry has laid out for them. Hermione enjoys the chatter going on around her, happy to sit back and observe rather than take an active part in the conversation.
Blue eyes lock onto hers and she feels the familiar tugging as Narcissa absorbs the thoughts she can't very easily keep hidden. She doesn't fight it, bringing to the front of her mind the worries she has about the dream she can't remember and that vague sense of there being something more.
"Later," the blonde witch mouths at her.
Hermione nods. "Okay," she mouths back.
A beep alerts them all to an incoming message on the info screen Anathema carries around with her. There is a whole room dedicated to navigation and comms, but Anathema is rarely seen without her comms tablet. The witch frowns as she glances at the screen, gesturing for Ginny to let her out.
"Bella? Cissa, Darling? With me," the witch instructs. "Draco, go and relieve Andy," she throws over her shoulder, walking out of the room without a backward glance. She carries herself with as much authority as any of the Black sisters, and there is no doubt in Hermione's mind that Draco will do her bidding without a direct command from the Captain herself.
Hermione feels soft fingers squeeze her thigh. "I'll be back in a moment. Enjoy your lunch," Bellatrix instructs, pecking her lips lightly in a soft kiss.
Watching her go, Hermione wonders what has them leaving the room so urgently. What can possibly be happening that it requires them to get up in the middle of what had been a thoroughly enjoyable lunch?
Harry engages her in conversation, and she lets herself be distracted, confident that Bellatrix will fill her in on anything she needs to know later on.
-xXx-
"What's with the cloak and wand routine, Ana?" Bellatrix demands the moment that they're alone in the navigation and comms room, Andromeda stumbling in through the door wearing a bemused smile.
"Draco said you needed me?" she asks, looking at Bellatrix for confirmation, who just shrugs, gesturing at Anathema with her wand.
"Ask her."
Anathema takes a seat in the heavy desk chair, crossing one leg in front of the other. Bellatrix rolls her eyes as not just Narcissa, but Andromeda too, are both drawn to the very high split in the skirt she is wearing.
Anathema gives them both a satisfied smile, tapping her info screen a few times to send an image to the main display screen in the room. "I thought you might like to know he's been trying to break into our comms."
Narrowing her eyes at the snake-like man on the screen, Bellatrix frowns. "Riddle? What the fuck does he want?"
"The Princess?" Narcissa guesses, looking for confirmation, which comes in the form of a nod from Anathema.
"Well he can't have her. Any idea why he wants her?" Bellatrix asks gruffly.
"He sent this," Anathema replies, playing a short video.
Tom Riddle appears on the screen, looking into the camera with a deceptively friendly smile.
My dearest Bella,
Rumour has it you have come into possession of a rather valuable prize. It is a prize that is of great importance to me personally, and I would appreciate it if you would extend me the courtesy of allowing me to call in a long overdue debt. The Princess is mine, Bella. I do hope you understand.
Contact me as soon as you possibly can. Time is of the essence.
The screen goes blank. No one says a word, staring at the darkness that had previously held Captain Riddle's face.
"No. He doesn't get to do this. Not now. Not after all this time," Bellatrix growls, slamming her hand down on the desk. "Whatever he thinks I owe him was repaid a long time ago. He gave me a start in life, but I repaid him with hard work and loyalty."
"He seems to think that's not enough," Andromeda says, brow creasing.
"Tough."
"You need to speak to him," Narcissa says calmly. "If we can head him off before he comes looking for us, then that is better than a confrontation."
"I wonder how much he knows? He seems very confident that we have her," Andromeda points out.
"Hang on," Anathema orders, turning to the main communications console. Her fingers rapidly flick over the touch-sensitive display.
Bellatrix grins when she sees her hacking into Riddle's comms log. "Well?" she asks impatiently.
"Remember Rowle? The wizard that was cloaking Cormac's ship?" Anathema points to the screen and a log of calls that goes back so far it doesn't all fit on the screen. "They've been talking for a while now."
"But why do they want Hermione? Because she is the Princess?" Bellatrix muses. "I thought they wanted to eradicate the monarchy? Seems to me they got what they wanted."
Andromeda shakes her head. "It's not about that. It's not about her status, it's about her bloodline. The Grangers were the last in an ancient bloodline, and it was always rumoured that they had certain gifts that were unattainable for the average witch or wizard."
"Like controlling electricity? Drawing static energy from the very air itself and weaponising it?" Narcissa suggests quietly.
"You mean like Hermione did when she sank Cormac's ship?" Bellatrix nods to herself when talking as the pieces all start to fall into place. "She's an elemental sorceress," she states with no little amount of awe in her face.
"Yes. I would say so," Anathema agrees. "She shows a lot of potential, especially now she has her memories back. She does things automatically without even reaching for her wand. I've been watching her for days."
"Me too," Andromeda admits. "She's a natural, and she does things that no ordinary witch should be able to do so easily with a wand, let alone without it. She doesn't even realise just how advanced her magic is."
"So they want her because she's gifted? For what purpose?" Bellatrix asks frustratedly. "Does Riddle want her for himself or is he working for someone else?"
"I think we all know the answer to that," Narcissa cuts in. "When has he ever let something valuable slip through his fingers? All these years later and he still thinks you owe him something, Bella, and you've not been part of his crew since you were a teenager."
"He collects people. People with talent are valuable to him and someone with the purest magical bloodline in the world is a huge draw for him," Bellatrix agrees. "He's not going to give up without a fight. He's ruthless when there is something he wants, which means we're all in danger."
"So we fight," Andromeda states calmly. "We fight, and we win, and we make sure she is safe from him and any one else who is a threat to her."
"I don't want to put people in danger, but it will come to a fight whether we want one or not." Bellatrix paces back and forth in the small space, grateful that no one speaks as her mind whirls through situation after situation, searching for the most viable option for survival. Riddle and his crew are fairly evenly matched with The Black Serpent these days. Almost equal in number of witches and wizards as well as a comparable skill set between them all. What will give them an edge? What can they do to make sure that they come out on top? Riddle needs to be neutralised, once and for all. There is a part of her that has known this day would come, from the moment she walked off his ship that last time.
"The poles," Anathema quietly interrupts. "We head to the poles where magic is weak and then we have the advantage. Hermione will be the only one able to use magic, and she can fight."
"No!" Bellatrix snaps. "Absolutely not. She's not ready for that responsibility. She's only just discovered who she is and what she can do."
"What would Hermione have to say if she knew you were here making decisions for her again?" Narcissa asks, and Bellatrix falters, her pacing coming to a stop in the middle of the room.
"This is different," she says firmly.
"If you really think so, then let's ask her," Andromeda suggests rationally. "It's not fair to keep her out of the loop considering this is about her."
"No," Bellatrix growls, starting up her pacing again.
"Bella…" Andromeda starts, falling silent when Bellatrix glares in her direction. She continues to pace, mumbling under her breath, ignoring all of them.
Bellatrix finally comes to halt, slumping tiredly into the chair opposite Anathema. She lets out a resigned sigh, and raises her wand, flicking lazily in the space in front of her to summon her patronus.
"Hermione, can you please join us in the navigation room?"
"There. Happy now?" Bellatrix asks, staring glumly at the other occupants of the room.
None of them reply, not that she expects them to. No doubt she would bite their heads off if they try, anyway. Footsteps outside the door tell her that Hermione is drawing closer, and she doesn't try to resist the automatic smile that creeps up on her face. The young witch takes one look around the room, and then makes a beeline for Bellatrix, settling comfortably on her lap.
Narcissa snorts, and Bellatrix grins, more than happy with the arrangement.
"So… what's up?" Hermione asks, eyes fixing on Anathema.
"What do you know of Riddle?" Anathema taps her info screen, bringing Tom's information back up onto the screen with a fairly recent image of the man.
"Not much," Hermione admits. "Bella stowed away on his ship when she was young, and when Tom found her he offered her a job. Eventually they parted ways, though I'm not sure when."
"That pretty much sums it up." Bellatrix snakes an arm around Hermione's waist, drawing her back against her body, burying her nose in her hair. "He didn't want me to leave, but I did. We've mostly avoided each other ever since."
"So what does that have to do with me? Why am I here?" Hermione queries, staring up at the screen.
"Riddle contacted us, Hermione," Andromeda announces. "It would appear that he has been tasked with collecting you, probably for the Port Solis government, though we have reason to believe that now he knows of you, that he probably wants you for himself."
"But… why?"
"You're powerful. You're overflowing with ancient magic that most witches and wizards just don't have access to, no matter how powerful they are," Narcissa explains. "You must suspect there is more to that? Why else do you want me to look into your memories again?"
"What?" Bellatrix cuts in. "She wants you to do what?"
Bellatrix loosens her grip as Hermione turns on her lap to face her. The young witch kisses her lightly. "I've been having dreams, Bella. I just feel like I am still missing a big part of who I am and I want to know what it is. I want Narcissa to take a look, a deeper look. I want to know everything."
"If it unlocks what she knows about ancient magic, then it can only be a good idea," Anathema adds, eyeing Hermione curiously. "There is more to this girl than meets the eye. We all know that."
Bellatrix feels Hermione squirm uncomfortably on her lap, slipping her fingers under her t-shirt to gently soothe the skin she finds there. "It's crossed my mind," Bellatrix admits. "You have an amazing grasp of magic, Hermione, but there is something blocking it. And we still don't know why Cormac wanted you in the first place? Why go to the trouble of making you his wife, if he was going to hide your own powers from you?"
"I believe I know the answer to that." Narcissa leans back against the desk. "There were some flashes that I didn't look into too deeply, but in hindsight, they make more sense than anything else. There is no doubt that he was initially motivated by his baser instincts. Simply put, he saw Princess Emma and wanted her. After Obliviating her, there were several times that she broke through with her magic and her memories returned. It takes someone incredibly powerful to break through such a spell, and it was in these moments that he realised just what he had in his possession. Sorry, Hermione-"
"It's okay," Hermione encourages with a small smile. "That's exactly how he saw me. I was always a possession, nothing more."
Narcissa clears her throat. "Still. It doesn't make it right," she apologises. "I believe he then thought he could sway her over to his side, but when she refused, went back to his original plan of keeping her obliviated. When I delve a little deeper, I suspect we will find out for sure."
"So he thought I could be used as some kind of weapon?" Hermione asks timidly. "To what end?"
"He was an ambitious prick," Bellatrix says viciously. "No doubt he had some heinous scheme planned to take over the world."
Andromeda snorts, and then laughs. "Well, Hermione put a stop to that, didn't she?" She pushes her hands through the air, dramatically mimicking Hermione's actions when she sank Cormac's boat.
Bellatrix joins in the laughter, happy to enjoy a lighter moment. Whatever happens now, it's not going to be easy for any of them. There are too many people who want to know Hermione's whereabouts, and too many unknowns facing them now. Even if they sail straight to Atlantis - a place where they should be safe - it's unlikely that they will get there without being intercepted by the Port Solis government, or Riddle himself. Even if Anathema works her magic, it's unlikely that she will be able to block all surveillance of their ship, even if they use magical means.
Riddle will certainly be able to find them. For every spell and curse in existence, there is a counter spell or curse. If they cloak their ship, then it's likely that Riddle will eventually break through it. They will be visible on radar, even if not visible to the naked eye, so there is no way of truly hiding where they are. A ship that is showing on radar but that has been cloaked will be a huge red flag for anyone following them. An obvious indicator of at least one witch or wizard on board, which is not as common these days as it used to be.
"Okay, everyone. Go back to what you were doing. I'm going to contact Tom and have myself a little chat," Bellatrix decides, shooing them from the room. "He'll be more receptive if I talk to him alone, and less likely to bother with his arrogant posturing."
Hermione jumps up from her lap, leans forward to kiss her cheek and then heads towards the door. "I'll be waiting for you in your cabin, Captain," she declares with a wink that makes Bellatrix feel hot all over. Skin prickling with the desire to follow Hermione out of the room, she presses her thighs together inconspicuously.
"I'll come and find you," she promises breathily, which is answered only with a wave over Hemrione's shoulder as she disappears from sight.
"Sounds like an invitation you can't say no to," Anathema teases, nodding her head towards the doorway Hermione recently departed from.
"It's not like that," Bellatrix counters. "And it's none of your business."
"You still haven't claimed the girl?" Anathema asks, raising both brows.
"I've been… She's worth waiting for."
Narcissa laughs. "The only one who wants to wait is you, Bella. Hermione is more ready than you realise."
"Do you ever stay out of other people's heads?" Bellatrix snaps.
"No. It's more fun this way," Narcissa informs her smugly. "And you better give her what she wants soon. That woman is coiled tighter than a spring."
Bellatrix doesn't reply, just points towards the door. Luckily they seem to understand that they have outstayed their welcome and leave without protest. With grim determination, she flicks on the comms channel, and locates Riddle's contact details. Steeling herself, she makes the call.
"It's been a while, Bella. I trust all is well with you?"
He greets her as if she is an old friend, which in a way, she supposes she is, but it sits wrong. Everything about this scenario feels like she is walking on a knife's edge, one false move could be the end of all of them.
"Riddle. You're looking…" She grimaces, taking in his flat nose and bloodshot eyes drawn into small slits. "Well. It's been a while, like you say."
The snake-like man lets out a whispery laugh. "Now, now, Bella. Don't you have anything nice to say? Surely you missed me?"
"What do you want, Tom?"
He leans back in his chair, his gaze assessing and she refuses to flinch under his scrutiny. She is no longer a teenager, and has her own ship and crew now. She's his equal and will not revert to anything less. His lips pull up in a ghostly grin. "I've missed you. No one else is quite so… forthright. Straight down to business then, is it?"
Bellatrix nods. "That would be preferable. I'm a busy woman these days, Tom."
"Then let us waste no more time with these trivialities. I know you have the girl." He holds up a hand when she opens her mouth to speak. "Don't deny it, Dearest. You know I have my ways."
There is no point in lying and she knows it. "We have Hermione."
"Come on now, let's not play games. You have the Princess, yes? Princess Emma Hermione Granger, of Port Ventus. We both know who she is and what she is capable of."
Bellatrix tries to cover her surprise. Hermione is actually, well, Hermione's middle name? Why hadn't she told her that? It begins to make more sense why Hermione had been insistent she didn't mind keeping the name she had been using when they met. "Yes, we have Emma, or Hermione as she likes to be known. She's not our prisoner, Tom. She's here because this is where she wants to be, and if she doesn't want to leave, then I'm not about to hand her over."
She's firm. Attempts to make it clear that she's putting her foot down without antagonising him. Judging from the way he narrows his already slit-like eyes, she's unsuccessful and braces herself.
"Don't be difficult, Bella. Let's not forget just how much you owe me."
"I owe you nothing," Bellatrix replies shortly. "Whatever favours you did for me back then have been repaid a hundredfold. What do you even want with her, anyway?"
He laughs then, and it's clear he believes her question humorous, but then he stops and eyes her critically. "Can it be that you don't know what you have?"
"We're already established she's the Princess," Bellatrix replies dryly.
"She's far more than that, and I know you well enough to know you must be aware of it."
"You don't know me at all anymore," she disputes angrily. "It's been two decades."
"You've certainly grown bolder," he allows. "My sweet Bella of years gone by would never speak to me with such a disrespectful tone."
"There is a difference between disrespect and not bowing down to someone who is now my equal," Bellatrix counters.
He surprises her then with another soft chuckle. "We're getting off subject. I need the girl, and you will give her to me. There is no further discussion that needs to take place."
"And I'm asking you, again, why you need her."
He leans forwards, staring intently into the camera. "Atlantis."
She tries not to react. "The legend?" she asks casually.
"Some call it a legend. Others might call it a long hidden truth. Only those accompanied by someone of an ancient magical bloodline will even be able to see the island, let alone be able to break through the cloaking and shielding charms that surround it. For that reason, and that reason alone, I need the Princess." He stares at her then, a knowing smirk on his too-pale face. "You care for her, any fool can see that. I promise she will be unharmed."
"You really think Atlantis is real?" Bellatrix scoffs. "You're more foolish than I thought, old man."
"Enough!" Riddle bellows, his voice crackling through the tinny speakers. "You will hand her over, or I will take her. If you refuse to give her to me, then I will kill every man, woman and child that stands in my way, Bella. Mark my words. I do not want to spill magical blood, but I will if I have to. I will have the girl."
"If you really believe she is that powerfully magical, then you can't hope to have a chance against her," Bellatrix retorts angrily.
Riddle snorts, eyes glittering with amusement. "No one compares to me. No one! She may be powerful, but I know she has been without her magic for years. You can try to resist, but even with the Princess on your side, you are no match for me. Give me the girl, Bella. Don't be foolish."
"No," Bellatrix growls. "Do what you will, but I will never hand her over to you."
"Then there is nothing else to discuss. You've disappointed me… Bellatrix."
The use of her full name hits her hard, in a surprising way. That one word spells the end of a complicated relationship between them that has spanned from her teenage years until now in her forties.
The screen goes blank, and she takes a few deep breaths. Whether it is to calm her nerves or to help her swallow her rising anger, she isn't sure. The implications of her refusal weigh heavily. Has she just put her entire crew and family at risk? Will he make good on his threats? She has more than enough reason to believe he will.
Atlantis. There have been so many rumours over the years, and most of them could not be further from the truth. A tale passed down through the generations that is blown out of all proportion, with very few of the facts left in it. If Tom is to be believed, then Hermione is the key to finding Atlantis. There is obviously more to the island and the Princess herself, than any of them know.
She knows Hermione is waiting for her, in Bellatrix's own quarters, and the desire to get answers is outstripped only by her desire for the woman herself. She's never wanted anyone more than she wants Hermione right now, and no longer understands her own reasons for holding back.
Now, when it seems as though she has just invited Riddle's wrath on them all, it's almost impossible to come up with a single reason why she shouldn't let herself be with Hermione. The woman is capable of making her own decisions, and if she's ready, then so is Bellatrix.
She glances at the navigation screen, happy that they are still on course, though she trusts Draco to keep them steady. A small part of her wonders if she should relieve him. He is due a day off, but when Anathema requested their presence, he took over from Andromeda. Realising she doesn't care as much as she should - they're perfectly capable of sorting it out between themselves - Bellatrix allows her feet to take her in the direction of her cabin.
She opens the door, wholly unprepared for the sight that greets her. Hermione is reclining on the unmade sheets of the bed, wearing a scarlet, lace bra and matching thong. Her eyes are underlined darkly and her lips a slightly darker shade of red. She's seductive, and Bellatrix takes a willing step forwards, hands twitching at her sides.
"Merlin, Pet. Are you trying to kill me?"
Hermione smiles, sensually parting her lips as she speaks in a lowered tone. "No, Captain. I'm trying to fuck you."
The last vestiges of her restraint melt away and Bellatrix doesn't break eye contact for a second as she walks slowly towards the bed. With purpose in each step, she delights in the shiver that runs through Hermione's body.
"I think you'll have to wait your turn, Pet," Bellatrix says with a smirk, kneeling on the bed and hovering over the witch.
"Shut up and kiss me, Bella," Hermione demands throatily, reaching up to connect their lips.
-xXx-
I think we all know what is coming next….!
Sorry for the delay with this chapter. My wife is injured and wasn't able to beta for me until today. Hope you're all having a good week.
Steren xx