Chapter Text
There was a snowstorm. A really bad one. It covered the small village and the large manor on the hill with a thick blanket of white snow. A pair of sharp black eyes watched the entire thing unfold, quite like they had been doing only two months before. But now, there was a pair of hazel eyes beside them.
Bellatrix and Hermione were watching the people down in the village.
“Do you do this all the time?” Hermione asked softly.
“Mmhm.”
“And it’s fun to you?”
“It’s less fun now that you’re here.”
“What?” Hermione said, slightly hurt.
“No, that’s not - that’s not what I meant. It’s wonderful that you’re here.” Bellatrix grabbed her girlfriend’s hand. “I meant that I used to do this … because I was looking for you.”
“Oh. That makes more sense.” Hermione laughed. She leaned her head against Bellatrix’s shoulder. “What would you like for Christmas?”
“Huh? Um. Nothing. Please don’t buy me anything.”
“C’mon. There must be something that you want.”
“I already have everything I want.” Bellatrix pressed a kiss to Hermione’s forehead. The hazel-eyed girl groaned.
“That was so cheesy!”
“I know.”
They sat quietly for a long while, watching the snow fall down from the sky.
“Bella?”
“Yes?”
“How long did you sit here looking for me everyday?”
“What?”
“You said that you used to sit here and watch for me.”
“Yeah, I did.”
“Please don’t tell me you wasted the last two years of your life trying to find me.”
“It wasn’t wasted.”
“Bella!”
“I sat here all day everyday, trying to see if you would walk by. And then, when the sun went down, I would watch the chimney of your house. And I made sure that the fire came on every night when it was cold, because if it didn’t, I would know something was wrong.”
“Just because my fire was on, doesn’t mean everything was okay.” Hermione pulled her knees into her chest.
“Oh.” Bellatrix squeezed her girlfriend’s hand tightly, “Do you want to tell me? You don’t have to.”
“I just missed you so much. I’m happy that we’re back together.” She leaned into Bellatrix.
“Okay.” Somehow, Bellatrix knew that Hermione was lying. But, she wasn’t going to push for any information. She knew how being forced to give information felt, and she wasn’t going to do that to someone she loves. She stared down at the little village again, scanning the faces of every single person who walked by. She wasn’t just looking for Hermione when she watched the village, no, she was also looking for other people. Deep down inside, she knew that she would never see them, not ever again. She had been told, when she was younger, that she was never going to see them again; because she wasn’t allowed. Those people couldn’t stop her now though, they were all gone.
A flash of pink caught Bellatrix’s eye. She stared down intensely at the spot, but all she saw was a small toddler running up the street. She watched the child to make sure that their parents found them, but soon, the child was out of sight. She leaned her head against the wall. Would Narcissa and Andromeda’s children have children? Bellatrix thought about the timelines for a moment. It would line up. But even if they did, there was no way that they were in the village, for it would not fit either of their tastes, and the houses would not be fit for raising a family.
Hermione’s snores startled Bellatrix. She looked down at her girlfriend for a moment. The woman’s eyelashes were fluttering. Bellatrix hoped that was a sign of a good dream. She held the sleeping woman tightly and stood up. She walked over and placed her gently on the bed, tucking the blankets snugly around her.
“Have a nice rest, my love, I’ll wake you when dinner is ready.” She knew that Hermione couldn’t hear her, but she said it all the same.
The cupboards were almost completely empty. And only a few packets of juice sat in the refrigerator. Bellatrix groaned. The supermarket was her least favourite place to go. Everyone in the village was sure to go there at least once, which meant it was the perfect place for Bellatrix to receive stares and insults. She didn’t want to bring Hermione with her, she didn’t want her girlfriend to be treated the same way.
There was a small box of pasta on the shelf and Bellatrix pulled it down. She began to boil the water.
“What’re you making?” Hermione asked sleepily. Bellatrix turned around, a big smile on her face.
“I’m making pasta!”
“Pasta?” Hermione asked enthusiastically.
“Yes!”
“Yay!”
“What would you like me to put on it? Tomato sauce? Maybe some cheese?”
“Both of them, please.”
“Okay.” Bellatrix reached up to the cupboard and grabbed the tomato sauce. “Did you have a nice sleep?”
“I did, yes. How did I end up in the bed?”
“I carried you there. I wanted to make sure that you were nice and warm under the blankets.”
“I wanted to cuddle with you.” Hermione pouted.
“Oh! I’m sorry!” Bellatrix walked over and hugged her girlfriend. “If I had known that I would’ve stayed!”
“It’s okay! We always have tonight.” Hermione captured the dark-haired woman’s lips in a kiss. “I was thinking about heading out shopping tomorrow, would you like to come with me?”
“Yes! I would love to. I have to run to the supermarket anyway.”
Hermione snuggled into Bellatrix’s chest.
“Your pasta was really good.” She mumbled.
“Thank you.”
“You’re so warm.”
“Thank you.” Bellatrix laughed. “So are you.” Better than hot water bottles, she thought.
“I think I fall more in love with you everyday.”
“Now who’s the cheesy one?”
“Still you.” Hermione giggled. Bellatrix kissed her lightly.
“I love you, darling.”
“Love you too.” She wrapped her arms around her girlfriend tightly.