Chapter 30: The Secrets and Coincidences


A grape flew in an elaborate pattern, paused hanging in the air, then dropped. It missed the open lips completely. Instead, it smacked the nose, and the cheek, and finally dropped into the grass.

The stomach of the black clad form laying on the bench contracted and expanded sharply as if letting out a displeased puff. A hand lowered and felt for the fruit bowl set near the bench.

Another berry took flight in a pattern resembling a complicated wand movement. Paused mid-air, and dropped a moment later. This time it found the intended target. The form stilled for a moment, enjoying the taste.

Then the hand felt for the bowl again, and two berries flew up and danced in the air.

As if feeling the eyes of the observer on her, the reclining witch turned her head towards the porch.

The grapes froze mid air.

Black eyes narrowed spotting the young witch in the ever present Muggle attire leaning on the porch railing and watching her.

The pale face relaxed and black eyes slid over the spot the young witch was at as if seeing nothing, and refocused on the still levitating grapes.

The grapes resumed their dance.

Hermione Granger ran her hands through her recently combed hair.

'Bloody impossible!'

She plopped into the nearby armchair, took a large sip of her juice, and returned her attention to the new Prophet.

SECRET LIFE OF LORD APPLEFIELD: Wizengamot Member Arrested

..wide spread blackmail and intimidation enterprise by one of the Wizengamot's most esteemed members...
..Are more Wizengamot members under DMLE review?...
..illegal use of the biological discards to fabricate compromising situations involving prominent witches and wizards...
..collection and sale without owner consent of the biological materials and derived potions...
..more arrests are expected...

Hermione pouted at the paper. She should be pleased the Prophet and the Witches Weekly followed through on her tips and even involved the DMLE. They uncovered way more than she expected. She thought the Lord was just a perv who took into adult life his teenage obsession of having sex with replicas of the powerful people he desired. That was the main gist of his behavior at Hogwarts according to the scroll Bellatrix gifted her.

Hermione itched to discuss the news with Bellatrix... among many other things they had to discuss.

She pushed the paper away.

Hogwarts was starting in a few days and they hadn't discussed anything related to the conditions the Law imposed on them and how they were going to manage that.

They would have done so if they were still having their breakfasts and were still talking.

They weren't.

She returned to the Grotto a week earlier and had yet to have a proper conversation with her wife.

'You left. I made other breakfast arrangements.' her mind recalled the dismissive hiss.

Hermione fought her strong desire to confront Bellatrix Lestrange, again.

Of course the little discovery… not just a discovery… a suspicion and a discovery really… and not so little either… made Hermione hesitant to annoy the dark witch.


Hermione spent eight days in London.

The stay was productive, but also sad in many ways.

Somewhere on the back of her mind, there was a hope that all would be back to normal now that the war was over, now that the Marriage Law rules were appeased. Yet, even though her head surely understood, her heart didn't realize right away, that their new normal would look very different from their old normal.

She needed this time to come to terms with things and with changes.

Her parents' home didn't feel like home. It was now a collection of echoes of the past. A past she almost irrecoverably damaged. Grimmauld didn't feel like a sanctuary. It was just a home her best friend lived in. And, after the space and the airy summer house architecture of the Grotto, the Grimmauld Place felt dark, stuffy, and depressing. The Burrow didn't feel like a home away from home anymore, and the Weasleys didn't feel like her magical adoptive family anymore either. Those were now just Ron's childhood home and Ron's family.

Hermione spent most of the time making legal and financial arrangements in both Muggle and Wizarding London, and preparing for the coming school year. All of it was very stressful, and left her with a lot of discontent.

First, there was a matter of the financial award for her role in the victory over Voldemort. It felt very strange to receive money for participating in the war. As if she was a mercenary, as if she chose to be in the middle of those things, as if she chose to be in the position to be tortured, terrified, hurt.

She was so conflicted about the money she was close to crying, right there in the middle of Gringotts, in front of the clearly confused goblin banker. The very confused banker who couldn't comprehend what was so complicated and upsetting about signing the acceptance of a meaningful sum of galleons.

She wanted to refuse the money. However, confronted with the state of her account she had to reconsider.

She would need to ask her parents, Harry… or Narcissa for money for books and new clothing if she refused.

That also brought up a point about the cost of the Grotto supplies, upkeep, taxes. How much did all that cost? Who was paying for all that? Most likely, Narcissa, but for how much longer...

Then, there was no less upsetting matter of her childhood home.

After her parents learnt that Hermione planned to spend another year at Hogwarts and stay with a friend during the breaks and afterwards, they asked her to rent their house out. They wanted to take some more time to decide on their permanent residence. Hermione suspected they were leaning towards staying abroad and simply wanted to spare her feelings by putting off the announcement.

So, willing or not, she spent time cleaning her childhood house, sorting through her old things, and arranging for a real estate agent.

Harry and Ron were out almost all the time, either at the auror offices, or in training, or in the field. It felt unsettling to Hermione for the first time since the three friends met to be the least busy one of their little group.

Thankfully, Ginny and Luna weren't too busy themselves, and kept her company more often than not. Even Millicent joined them on some occasions.

Hermione was grateful for their company. It was almost like a normal hang out with friends. Though, many of their activities were a bit more serious than what she would have expected for 17 and 18 year olds. Cleaning out her house, helping Ginny plan the redecoration of Grimmauld, brainstorming with Luna the new topics for Quibbler...

Luna went with her to shop for school supplies and other things.

Ginny dragged her to family dinner insisting it would be all right. And despite Hermione's reservations, it was alright for the most part.

She did contemplate staying at Harry's until Hogwarts started. Ginny and Harry both suggested as much. But it just didn't feel the same anymore.

So, on Monday a week after the Weasley Wedding festivities Hermione returned to the Grotto House. As strange as it sounded, regardless of the other occupant of the place, and an attic full of house elves, it was good to be back. The place felt almost like home, at least more of a home than any other option she had.


The Grotto House looked the same, and yet it felt different.

Some plants appeared to be missing, and some looked replanted... Though, Hermione rarely paid attention to plants, and it was possible she was simply imagining the subtle changes.

Several pieces of glass art and ancient pottery looked mended, and not in a quite the right way… Though, Hermione hadn't looked at them closely before, and it was reasonable to assume they always were that way.

The aftertaste of smoke and ozone persisted throughout the building and the outdoors… Though, nothing was burnt or even slightly singed, and so it could have been just the difference between the city and outdoorsy air…

Hermione couldn't help but wonder what exactly Bellatrix was up to while she was away.

The discovery regarding at least one activity came the very next day.

The glowing blue dots, fingerprints of someone who wasn't her, peppered the pages of Hermione's warded journal when she checked the trace ward guarding the journal.

Concealment ward, which turned the writing into gibberish, was intact, as was the extension ward, which hid all but the first passage of every entry.

She looked for other evidence of the snooping noses and fingers.


Hermione found Bellatrix lounging on the chaise on the porch overlooking the orchards.

'You took something from my room. I want it back.'

Bellatrix's lips twitched up.

'I didn't take anything of yours.'

'It's not yours either! I want it back. You know what I'm talking about.'

The lips twitched up again.

'Ah… I assume the thing with a note that says something like Destroy when done… Malfoy's solicitor will have our wands…' Bellatrix shot Hermione a look and then turned away dismissively. 'Perhaps it's already at Nightshade's.'

Hermione narrowed her eyes silently cursing herself for not thinking that Bellatrix would snoop, and for not destroying the papers immediately after she decided not to read them.

Bellatrix rose from the chaise.

'Did you read them?' She folded her arms and stared at Hermione. 'Did you look at what your precious light is capable of?'

'No. I- No.'

Black eyes stared at her looking for dishonesty.

'Why not?'

'I- I don't know… I think I was getting to it. And then I decided not to.'

In fact, Hermione remembered clearly the moment she decided she wouldn't read the papers. Their confrontation in the mailroom. Bellatrix helpless fury and bargaining, which felt more like begging really, as she asked not to bind her magic. Reading something she shouldn't have had access to... something she suspected Bellatrix would have preferred no one be in the possession of... felt wrong, felt like an uncalled for violation, really.

She wasn't about to reveal all that thought process though. Bellatrix disappeared for a day after they mailroom situation. And right now she was barely acknowledging Hermione as it was.

So Hermione just shrugged.

Bellatrix hummed and turned to look at the trees ignoring her.

'Bellatrix, please, can we just destroy them? Harry would get in trouble if-'

Mentioning Harry never failed.

'The Holy Potter!' Bellatrix hissed. 'Who could care less that the papers were not for his eyes, or yours!'

Hermione pursed her lips, and kept silent. She hated that Bellatrix was right.

The older witch whirled around and stormed into the house.

She ran through a number of scenarios to retrieve the missing papers. Begging, bargaining, blackmail... or a simple Accio.

Accio didn't work.

Begging, bargaining, blackmail...

Turned out, Hermione didn't need to do anything. Bellatrix strode out of the house with the thick folder in her arms and unreadable expression on her face several minutes later.

The jacket with the stack of papers slammed onto the porch floor in front of Hermione. The papers ignited before even hitting the ground.

Hermione looked at the quickly disappearing writing on the jacket.

Investigation Summary: Allegations of Torture and Disfigurement of Bellatrix Lesrange while in auror custody at St Mungo's Hospital for Magical Maladies and Injuries
Complaint initiated by: Narcissa Malfoy
Complaint Investigated by: [blacked out]
Complaint Status: Settled, Closed and Sealed

Bellatrix kept her gaze on Hermione as the papers burned. When only the ashes were left in the place of the thick folder, she walked away.

'Bellatrix,' the witch stopped and turned to look at Hermione. 'Have you? Looked?'

One shoulder rose in a shrug.

'What would change if I did?..' She turned to leave then looked back again. 'And pet, about the other folder, if you want to know details of my crimes so badly, all you need is ask.'

Hermione sighed. Of course Bellatrix didn't miss the thick binder right on top of her desk.

The flat gaze found hers and the voice dropped lower.

'I remember every sweet moment.'

The last part was hissed even lower.

'If you ask nicely, I'll show as well as tell.'

Hermione gulped and took a step back even as Bellatrix was anyway walking in the opposite direction from her.

'Bellatrix?'

'Yes?'

'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made Harry get me the sealed files.'

Another one shoulder shrug.

'I would have… if I were you.'


The situation appeared to be resolved.

The evidence of Harry's involvement was gone.

Bellatrix went back to ignoring her without any noticeable additional animosity.

Hermione should have been relieved.

She should have been relieved, and she would have been. And she actually was... for a short time. Then, the second look through her journal revealed one sentence glowing in blue more so than others as if it was traced over multiple times.

July 20th, 1998: Today I almost strangled Bellatrix Lestrange to death.

Hermione gulped.

Surely it was just a coincidence. Her wards were intact. She checked and rechecked. And yet...


So, understandably, as Hermione Granger observed Bellatrix Lestrange juggling the grapes in the air, she admitted she was a bit hesitant to push the witch.


End of Chapter 30