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It was a rainy, dim morning, with the droplets of water lazily falling from the sky and landing on her soaked clothes, tapping on her shoulder, falling from the leaves and branches below her to soak the forest floor.
The type of morning best started in bed with a hot cup of tea and a book, but she felt too restless to stay inside and too melancholic to move once she’d found her perch staring at the familiar stone castle that was starting to light up with the sleepy orange-red glow of lamplight, the forest around her still slept away, hiding from the drizzle of water. She was close enough to the edge of the castle’s ward to feel it, still kilometers away from the building itself.
It was her fault she was too conflicted to act. It seemed like she still hadn’t lost her habit of pursuing things without believing that the consequences could ever catch up to her.
And she was planning to do something a bit idiotic, yet again- well, it wasn’t nearly as bad as what she’d done in the past.
“Hermione?” a familiar voice called to her from the water-laden ground, leaves no doubt halfway to rotting. “Why, when I woke up to find you missing I didn’t expect that you’d taken up tree-climbing and bird-watching, my dear. Very quaint,” the dark figure of a woman said, and Hermione could hear the smile in her voice even though it was pitched dramatically, “Come down, would you?”
Hermione could barely see her through the clinging, yellow leaves below her, but she jumped off the branch into the gap, not feeling the branches whipping past her cold skin, landing with only a minor stumble caused more by the roots than by the height she’d fallen.
“Oh! You’ve gotten soaked-“ and Bella approached her to tuck some stray wet strands of her hair back behind her ear, brushing her cheek. That touch felt like hot coals, and she couldn’t help but press her entire cheek into it as if only just realizing how utterly frozen she felt.
It wasn’t really cold, even though she could see her white breaths of air.
But Bella pulled her into a hug despite her soaked clothes and skin and tucked her head into her neck, running her fingers through her wet hair affectionately.
“Are you regretting, little bird?” she said, “Missing the light, the fame, the heroism, your home-“
“Who doesn’t wish there weren’t consequences to anything?” Hermione muttered into Bella’s neck, pushing her cold nose farther into her collarbone, trying to get even closer to her warmth, “It’s just some are worse than others, and some are not bad results. Who can say what will happen when it begins?”
“I don’t regret anything,” Bella said, taking her hand and placing it on her chest over a sigil recently drawn onto her skin, lacing their hands together, “But they do say it’s the insanity-“ and she giggled, throwing her entire head back despite the rain dripping down her neck.
Hermione ran her fingers over that sigil, shaped into a heart. “You’re just different from most people. I can’t just stop wondering where all the different paths lead- not that I regret you!” she insisted, eyes wide.
Humming fondly, Bella lazily flicked her wand out and dried the both of them off, casting an impervious charm so that they’d stay that way.
“That’s still no reason to catch a cold. There are more interesting ways to be punished than making yourself sick, dear. You only had to let me know-“
“I’m not sure I can get sick,” Hermione said wryly, “But I’ll keep that in mind.”
“Oh, don’t be obtuse. There are more types of sick than just a boring cold.”
At the distant roll of thunder, Bella finally looked up from Hermione and narrowed her eyes at the trees around her, the forest darker than the one they lived in.
“…My, I’d almost forgotten where we were…why are you so close to Hogwarts if not for making a pretty picture of melancholy?”
Hermione turned faintly red and tried to turn her face further into Bella’s shoulder.
“Not telling me? Well, let me guess… is it a book?” and Bella’s voice turned teasing because she knew she was right.
“Am I that predictable?” Hermione groaned, “What if I…just wanted to take a walk, and happened to be in the vicinity? Or needed a hair from a headmaster for some sort of spell? Really-“
“We’re too far away for a walk, and you usually ask me if I have something already before trying to find an ingredient by yourself,” Bella said, “I only managed to find you since you forgot you were wearing the necklace I gave you, dear. Thought you were out in the rain getting drenched again.”
Hermione’s hand moved from Bella’s chest to fumble for said necklace beneath her robes. She’d worn it for so long she hardly felt it around her neck, the tiny blood-red flowers warmed to the temperature of her skin.
She’d put on the tracking charm connected to Bella’s ring herself when it was first given to her- but it wasn’t like she was trying to hide.
“Alright, alright. I did come here for a book,” Hermione grumbled, “But I was tired, so I took a break-“
“…On top of a tree.”
“On top of a tree, but considering the time I doubt many people are awake to make this difficult,” Hermione said.
“Perfect!” Bella said, smiling, “Then I’ll come along too. It sounds like a bit of fun-“
“You don’t have to-“
Bella, still smiling, playfully tugged on a strand of Hermione’s hair and wagged her finger, “And you’d deny me my morning wake-up screams? How cruel of you.”
Hermione couldn’t help but laugh a little herself, intertwining a hand with Bella’s and setting off to make a certain librarian’s day significantly worse.
Hermione and Bella’s lack of Animagus form meant that the first portion of their robbery was simply walking around with just an invisibility charm to keep anyone from panicking.
Despite the school being warded to all hell to drive away evil, dangerous creatures, homicidal old men- the fact that both of them had once been students was more than enough for the castle to let them pass peacefully. (Well, Hermione had also drawn some runes on them to fake their identity as students, just in case)
And the fact that they weren’t intending any harm helped unless you counted making Pomona’s anger issues worse- but that was already a loss, to begin with.
Maybe she could have just asked the librarian to borrow a book. The last time she talked to the librarian, she didn’t seem fearful or angry- just a little disapproving- but she was in a rush, alright?
The easily walked around the few sleep-deprived upper years trying to get a quick bite or a quick round of studying in before everyone else woke up, and made their way into the library.
It was far too easy. Maybe she should write a letter to the headmaster addressing their security issues if it wasn’t likely that they’d think that she was trying to sabotage him. Her reputation wasn’t that of a trickster but everyone was automatically suspicious of her anyway because of her unusual stances in wizarding politics.
Mostly because her stance seemed to conflict with itself, but there was no reason dark magic practitioners couldn’t be decent toward creatures. Ridiculous Wizards and Witches.
The two slipped into the restricted section when Pomona was busy tidying up some returned books, and Hermione made her way straight to the section that felt of darker magic than the rest. Or what was left of it.
“Are you sure that the book isn’t just sitting in my dear parent’s libraries?” Bella said idly, giggling at some of the titles of the books and stroking their spine only to withdraw her hand when some tried to snap at her. “I doubt they have some of the more…interesting books. Students, you know. Can’t let them accidentally figure out how to curse people into infertility at 13-“
“Can they?” Hermione said, amused, “That sounds more like a medical procedure than a curse. Although I know that some Mediwitch spells are considered dark curses…”
“The bias against the dark is not going to get better any soon, despite your efforts,” Bella snorted, “Especially since I’m of no help correcting their image! Hahaha!”
“Is someone there?” Pomona’s sharp tones cut through Bella’s mirth, and Hermione quickly searched through the small section and shoved the book into her tiny beaded bag, wordlessly reapplying the invisibility charm just in case. Pomona stuck her head through the restricted section’s gate and squinted around before retreating. Hermione was just about to sigh in relief when the runes on either side of the gate lit up and she could see Bella next to her, grinning like she was having the time of her life.
“Thieves-“ Pomona shrieked, and Hermione sure hoped that no one could hear her this far in the library, but she probably wouldn’t be that lucky.
“Time to go~,” Bella said without concern, before blasting the gate open with sheer magical force and dragging Hermione out by the hand.
Pomona didn’t try to chase them, eyes widening when they landed on Bellatrix before she decided that confrontation wasn’t the best idea. She ducked behind her desk in a defensive position once she realized there were no students around to worry about.
They ran out of the library, only to see the way down being blocked off by the stone floors surging up and starting to completely block off the corridor. Huh. So Hogwarts had something similar to fire doors? Fascinating. Why wasn’t it mentioned in- Well. Might be a new security addition.
Immediately turning the other way, they bolted up the corridor and jumped over the stone wall that hadn’t finished closing off the hallway and ascending the nearest staircase.
“Hm, this might be a problem, eventually,” Bella said, ascending another staircase, “Last I checked, I hadn’t figured out the Dark Lord’s flying technique-“
“Don’t worry, I’ve got a plan. Just get to the towers.“
And Bella giggled with excitement even as Hermione reached the owlery and started climbing the stairs two at a time.
She stopped abruptly at a figure at the top of the tower, Bella crashing into her before pulling them both up against the wall.
“I know you’re there,” the person sighed, sounding stressed. Figured it would be Neville since he of all people was actually at Hogwarts as a teacher. “There’s nowhere to run.”
“Really?” Bella said, “Must you use that cliche of all things? Put more of your heart into it, would you?”
Neville paled at her voice and froze before he firmed up and crossed his arms. “Hermione- I know that you’re good, still, on the inside- there’s no reason to keep being ar-around Bellatrix. You aren’t like that-“
“ Like that ?” Hermione hissed, tense, “Why don’t you just say ‘ evil, dark, crazy-’ ...And it’s too late to ‘ save me’ so don’t even bother-“
“Is she controlling you?” He asked, stepping forward even though he was shaking like a newborn foal, “You’ll always have a home back with us, you know, you don’t have to run away-“
“Is it so hard to believe that I tried out the dark and don’t find it abhorrent?” Hermione muttered, tail flicking in irritation. His eyes immediately latched onto it. Ah, bloody hell, she had forgotten to hide in her agitation, “Is it hard for you to label me a monster when you know it isn’t as easy as that? Well, it’s too late! I’m already one according to the Light! It’s already unforgivable to you morons! Don’t give me your wishy-washy morality-”
“It seems the rest of them have caught up to us, dear,” Bella said, almost sounding apologetic for interrupting her anger, “If you have a plan, you’d better do it before I decide blasting people off the ramparts sounds fun-“
Hermione looked back to hear the sound of multiple footsteps ascending the stairs, so she crashed into Bella, winding her arms around the taller woman as securely as she could before taking a heavy step to the stone windows and opening the wings she’d been hiding under her loose robes, stepping off the windowsill to glide haphazardly down, clumsily breaking the speed of their fall so that they crashed onto the wet ground mostly unharmed, her wingtips folding back under her clothes as she pushed herself up from her pile of wet(again) robes and dragged Bella back up.
They both ran to the forest, dodging the spells thrown from the tower with barely any effort since they were already too far to hit, Bella’s giggles decreasing in intensity and frequency the farther they went until Hermione felt the weight of the wards lift off them and Apparated them both away.
They landed back in the front garden of their cottage they called their home, surrounded by acres of meadow that usually caught the sun. But it was raining here just as it was raining at Hogwarts, and the impervious charm had worn off.
Hermione shook the water off her wings before entering their little house, fit for two people with not much care for high society unless they were called to it, and tried to wring out her cloak at the doorstep.
“Really,” Bella tutted before hitting her with an extra-strength drying charm that whipped all the water behind her out the door, “Didn’t think to tell me you’d sprouted wings before taking off, did we?”
“I was trying not to think about it,” Hermione said, sighing and folding them back under her cloak, where they seemed to almost completely dissolve back into her skin, “Apologies for just dragging you off a tower…”
“Get’s the blood boiling,” she hummed and pet Hermione’s head, smiling the smile that always made her think of how beautiful Bella could be before the woman wandered off to the kettle to make some tea.
Hermione fished out the book she’d gone through all that trouble for and opened it to the first chapter- Power sigils, oaths, the blessing from the lady of Magic-yes, just as she remembered from her time at school.
What she had been trying to do was to attune herself to magic through a ritual that required an important person as an anchor, so she flipped to the oath section experimentally and promptly lost all sense of time, perched on an uncomfortable chair near the entranceway of their home with her eyes stuck onto the book, a cup of tea nearby long gone cold.
Just the same as all those other times she had spent long hours in all sorts of books, including the book that introduced her to the dark arts, and how she always, always lost herself in the words and never stopped to think of where the words were taking her-
“Dragon’s heart-string?” she muttered, but she hadn’t used one in the ritual? So why would she obtain dragonlike traits? Why- she vaguely felt a charm falling over her and tore her eyes from the book to look up, blinking and squinting to try to refocus them until Bella’s face took shape over her, with her dragon-heart, unyielding wand.
…It might be the culprit.
“Back with us?” Bella said, playfully amused despite how Hermione always lost sense of time when she was invested in something. “It’s already gotten dark.”
Hermione whipped her head to the window and only saw the yellow glow of the lamp in front of the closed curtains, the storm still thundering outside with waves of heavy rain.
“Come eat something, at least,” Bella said, tugging Hermione into her side and gliding them farther into the cottage and setting her down in front of the fireplace, close enough that the heat washed over her face and she felt her eyelids droop even as she tried to read the next paragraph in the book, the words staying blurry despite her squinting-
She blinked her sleep-grimy eyes open to Bella soothingly running her fingers through her hair, a plate of slightly burnt toast nearby.
“…What?” she mumbled, uncurling from where she was wedged between the armchair and Bella, fishing out her book from the pile of blankets that had appeared around her. The fire was banked low, with more warm heat than flickering flame.
“…Did I fall asleep?”
“Well, today was rather exciting,” Bella said, twirling her hair in her hand as if she had no concern, but Hermione stiffened and reached for Bella’s arm, covered by a stark white bandage that still contrasted with Bella’s pale skin.
“…What is this?” she said, “…You can’t have cut yourself like this by making toast, no matter how bad you claim to be at cooking.”
Bella paused, which was so uncharacteristic of her Hermione straightened, even more, to stare at her in the eye, lifting her chin up to do so.
“…It was from me, wasn’t it? I don’t know how but-“
“You just scratched me a little before we dived from the tower. It seems like you can also grow claws, which is completely unfair since it takes forever for me to grow my nails sharp enough that they can cut people, and sometimes it just breaks-“
“This can’t be the blessing I asked for,” Hermione said, staring at her hands with disgust as if she could find the incriminating blood there, “Is this punishment for my wrongdoings? That magic doesn’t want someone like me to try to see her gifts, doesn’t want me to be happy with you-“
“If anyone would be punished for what they’ve done, shouldn’t it be me?” Bella said, pulling Hermione’s hands back down and cradling her with one hand on her cheek and one on her back, where they ghosted over where her wing stubs were, “And you don’t hate me for all the hate-able things I’ve done. I’m not safe, and yet here you still are. I’m not nice, and yet Magic has blessed me to not be a squib- and didn’t that ritual tie us together as it claimed to do? My little dragon-heart.“
“It’s not a blessing of magic or no magic,” Hermione said clawing the blankets and pushing her head down, “I’m not even fully human anymore-“
“But you’re still Hermione,” Bella said, laughing, “Headstrong Hermione, whose talent can’t even be contained in her stilly human body anymore-“
Hermione snorted, “Silly human body…Dragon-heart...I supposed it hasn’t been the worst.”
“-and if you still hate it, I’m sure you can figure out how to reverse it eventually, my dear.”
With no other argument left in her, Hermione sighed and relaxed into Bella’s arms, and finally let the sound of the rain pounding on the roof and the warmth from the fire drown out her thoughts.
“Go back to sleep, love. Tomorrow is yet another day-“