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Hermione panted when she finally reached the gate for her flight. She was clearly the last one to arrive and if she hadn’t been already red faced from all the running with her huge carry on bag, she would have blushed bright red at the disapproving glare the woman, standing behind the counter, was giving her.
“Miss, the gate is already closed. The last call was five minutes ago...” Hermione’s heart dropped. This couldn’t be happening. She needed to be on this flight.
“Please...my boss needs me to go to Florence to write this article about the new art gallery. The event is tonight! I really can’t miss this flight...” The woman, whose name tag stated her name was Sheryl, looked at her in sympathy.
“I’m sorry to hear that but unfortunately we can’t make any exceptions. The door to the plane is already closed and the gateway about to be removed...Please take a seat over there and I can try to find you an alternative flight...However...unfortunately, that won’t be today...” Sheryl fixed her with a stern gaze and pointed to the now empty seats next to the gate. Hermione seeing that the woman would not allow any further arguments, nodded defeated and slowly sulked off towards the nearest chairs.
The young woman threw her massively over packed bag on the ground next to her and let herself fall down heavily.
This was just great! First she overslept and missed her meeting with her publisher for the first time since she started working there two years ago and didn’t even have the time to eat breakfast. Then her boss, Minerva McGonagall informed her last minute that her next big job would be in a foreign country and that she had to leave immediately! Why couldn’t she not have informed her the day before when they debriefed her latest article? Or even when she had called her in the morning to ask why she wasn’t at the meeting???
Hermione groaned inwardly and slumped against the backrest. What a day... Now she would surely get fired. There was no way McGonagall would let this slide and she had only just managed to recover from her massive slip up with one of her articles. She had tried to best her rival Draco Malfoy and ended up publishing false information because she didn’t take the time to check her informants statement about the most famous chess player, Albus Dumbledore. Hermione had not only almost lost her job the day the article came out but also ended up sending Draco into the hospital with a broken nose when he openly called her names and made fun of her during one of the many emergency meetings that followed her disastrous outing.
Since then, Hermione had checked and double checked every last small detail she wrote about and always made sure to hand in her articles way before the deadline.
Now this mornings failure was her first slip up after almost 1,5 years of being the most productive and brightest writer ‘Hogwarts time magazine’ had ever seen and Hermione feared the call that she had to make now.
The young brunette closed her eyes and sighed. There was no need to delay this any longer. Hermione rubbed her eyes, sat up straight and pulled out her phone. She was just about to push the call button when a feminine voice, she could now identify as Sheryl’s, called out to her.
“Miss! There was an accident in one of the other planes and they had to come back to treat the person that got sick... This means there is now a massive queue for the runway and your flight has to stay at the gate for at least another 15 minutes. I have called the crew and informed them of your dilemma...They will open the door again for you to board the plane...” Sheryl grinned and Hermione let out the breath of relief.
“Thank god...you are my life saviour today. I can’t thank you enough, I believe you have just saved me my job...”
“No problem, you can thank me when you come back and... maybe go out and have some drinks with me?” She looked hopeful and Hermione couldn’t help but laugh a little at the shyness Sheryl was suddenly showing. The woman was cute, Hermione had to admit. With her short blond wavy hair, green eyes and glasses she was easy on the eyes and even though she was a bit shorter than Hermione herself, she seemed like she could hold her ground when it came to intellectual conversations. Hermione had known early on that she was drawn to the fairer sex and not at all attracted to guys, so Sheryl with her freckles and airport uniform flirting with her, was all but an unpleasant experience.
Hermione grinned and winked at the woman “Sure, why not...-“ She reached for her phone that she had already pulled out to call her publisher and let Sheryl enter her phone number into her contacts.
Once she was done, the short blond looked up and beamed at her “Thanks, so they are just reattaching the gangway for you and you should be able to board in about five minutes. Please be ready by then so we won’t cause any further delays...”
Hermione smiled at her and walked back to her abandoned seat to get her heavily overpacked and clearly overweight bag. When she walked back to the counter, ready with her flight ticket and passport for the boarding, she could see Sheryl eyeing her bag critically but luckily for Hermione, she let it slide and didn’t say anything about it.
They smiled at each other and Sheryl let her through the registration. Hermione couldn’t even fathom her relief when the smaller woman handed her back her ticket and passport.
“It was a pleasure meeting you Hermione Granger, I hope we will see each other again very soon, have a safe flight”
“The pleasure was all mine and thank you for your help.” They smiled and waved at each other one more time before Hermione finally walked down the long tunnel to board the airplane.
The flight attendant, waiting for her by the door was clearly not as happy to see her as Sheryl had been but Hermione couldn’t really blame her. She had caused them a lot of trouble by arriving at the gate late. So she put on her most apologetic smile and thanked the stewardess for waiting and opening the door of the plane again for her.
When she finally stepped into the long aisle between the two rows of seats, she was greeted with people that somehow managed to look both annoyed and irritated. Hermione took a deep breath and tried to remain as calm and casual as possible, while also not letting her insecurities and anxiety take the better of her. She didn’t let her eyes look at anyone in particular and just focused on finding her seat that unfortunately, was in the back of the plane.
Her bag was heavy on her shoulders and she struggled not to hit anybody with it while walking through the narrow aisle. When she finally reached row number 21, she tried to find a place in the overhead compartment to store her big bag. Luckily she found a spot by rearranging a couple of other carry-on bags, which earned her more death glares from the people around, which she also tried to ignore.
With a light sheen of sweat on her forehead and red-faced, Hermione looked at the other two people sitting in her row for the first time. She immediately felt even more embarrassed and self-conscious than before. In the aisle seat was a man in his late 50s or maybe even early 60s. He was dressed in a grey suit and his black greasy hair was gelled back. The man was clearly very wealthy and an arrogant snob. He had a scowl on his face and obviously minded that Hermione needed him to stand up to get to her own window seat.
Hermione rolled her eyes when the man huffed and theatrically opened his seatbelt to stand up and let her pass through. His long black coat followed him almost like a cape and she had to supress a giggle.
When Hermione looked back down at the other occupied seat, her breath hitched and she struggled to force her heart to start beating again.
Sitting there and looking up at her, was the most beautiful woman Hermione had ever seen. The woman was dressed in a long black dress and a corset that left little to Hermione’s colourful imagination. The woman had long and curly black hair with just the tiniest bits of grey strands.
Hermione swooned on the spot and gripped the head rest of the closest seat next to her to steady herself. The man sitting there, glared at her but Hermione had only eyes for the black goddess in front of her.
Curls in a high, loose ponytail, the woman finally looked up and in her direction with an unpleasant scowl. Hermione’s heart skipped a beat. Her eyes.... her eyes were so dark... dark, deep pits full of sin. High cheekbones and her mouth... bright red and so...so very kissable...” Hermione blinked.
What the hell was happening to her?
She looked around and found herself surrounded by people looking at her like she had lost her mind. A woman... the flight attendant from before, stood next to her and tapped her on the shoulder with an annoyed frown.
“Sorry...what?” Hermione stupidly asked, her heart still beating fast and dampening all the sounds around her.
The stewardess rolled her eyes but put on a friendly but very obvious forced smile on her face. Hermione could see her struggle to compose herself and do her job. “Excuse me miss, but we are ready for take off but you are blocking the aisle. Please take your seat and do fasten your seatbelt. We are about to leave our parking position and start rolling.”
Hermione blushed furiously and hurriedly claimed her seat by the window. She had totally blacked out for a moment while staring at the black woman and missed all the movements around her. She hadn’t even seen the black haired woman stand up and leave her seat.
Great job, Hermione...You might not loose your job today but you are totally loosing your mind. How embarrassing...
Hermione sat down, fastened her seatbelt and put her phone into flight mode, before storing it in the pocket in front of her. She tried to sit as close to the window as possible and moved as little as possible. She didn’t want to annoy the people around her anymore than she had already done.
The black haired beauty and the slimy looking man in her row, took their seats next to her and Hermione finally relaxed a bit and closed her eyes.
At least she made it into the plane. Now she just had to survive the next 2 hours and 15 minutes on this aircraft sitting next to miss tense and mister grumpy.
A beeping sound went through the airplane and the usual safety demonstration began.
There were three flight attendants currently distributed throughout the plane, showing how to fasten and unfasten the seatbelt, where to find life jackets and how to put them on and so on... Hermione had seen this about a hundred times in her life and did not even look up. Every aircraft was more or less the same and she already knew all the procedures from her other travels.
As a writer for a big magazine it happened often that she had to go on business trips and she certainly didn’t mind the extra holiday. Working as a writer was fun for her. She loved her job and had worked very hard to be where she was today. But lately she had been a bit distracted. Her heart was not really in it anymore which let her to struggle finding the right words in her articles and made her work harder than ever before. She often worked late into the nights which earned her deep circles under her eyes from the lack of sleep and she was more grumpy than normal. Her friends had already complained when Hermione had to cancel the third Sunday breakfast at the Burrow in a row due to her excessive workload. It wasn’t necessarily more work she had to do but it just took her longer than usual, which was concerning. It also led her to overhear her alarm clock this morning and miss the meeting with her publisher.
Hermione had worked very hard her whole life to build the career she now had and it was a privilege to work for ‘Hogwarts time magazine’. She had reached her dream job but all she felt lately was emptiness. There was a hole in her life she couldn’t explain and didn’t know how to fill.
She felt movement next to her and looked up with a beating heart. She hadn’t paid attention but the safety demonstration was already over, all flight attendants had taken their seats and the plane had just started to be pushed backwards.
The movement that had caused her to look up had been made by the black haired woman in the middle seat and unfortunately for Hermione’s libido, she looked even more breath-taking from up close. She wore a tight expression, looking straight ahead and at nothing in particular. Her posture was very tense and her arms were positioned on both armrests. Hermione couldn’t say if she was just naturally stressed out and stiff or if something was causing her great distress. She might have even been in pain considering how much her fingernails clawed into the armrests and how much she was surely grinding her teeth looking at her tight but delicate jaw.
Hermione hadn’t even realised how much time had passed during her inspection before the woman abruptly turned to her, leaning forward and fixed her with angry black eyes.
“Stop staring at me, you insolent brat! Bad enough you made us all late, I don’t need you gawping at me the whole flight. I’m not an artwork you paid for to ogle.” She huffed in annoyance and shot back into her seat. Shoulders even more tense than before the confrontation.
Hermione was speechless for a moment.
How dare this woman insult her like this! It wasn’t her fault, she was in a foul mood and obviously unable to voice her problems like a normal human and in a polite way.
Yes Hermione had been staring but only because she had been concerned about her wellbeing (and because she was bloody hot a tiny voice in her head added unhelpfully). There was no reason to belittle her in such a rude way.
“Excuse me, I have not been ogling you at all! You looked very tense and I was just concerned you might be feeling unwell. Furthermore, I’m not the reason we are delayed, that was due to an accident on a different plane. I just boarded the aircraft a little later because the crew was so pleasant as to open the door for me again. I don’t know why you are so mean or tense but I would like to just enjoy my flight in peace and not get into another fight with you.” Hermione knew all eyes were on her again but this time she genuinely didn’t care. This woman was being rude and not even her pretty face could impress her anymore.
Black eyes stared at her and a cold prickling ran down Hermione’s back. “Why I’m stressed is non of your concern. Leave me alone and there is nothing you have to fear from me.”
Hermione scowled and leaned back into her seat without answering or saying another word. Some people were just impossible to deal with. She would just ignore this cold bitch for the rest of the time they had to endure in such proximity.
She also ignored the provocative smirk on the other woman’s face who was clearly trying to get another rise out of her. As if she would fear this woman.
She couldn’t be more than 1,57m. Tiny compared to her 1,65m. She had dealt with a lot of unpleasant people over the years at university and during her years working for multiple publishing houses and knew the best way to evade confrontations and annoy the other person was by simply ignoring and acting nonchalant.
A small glance to her right showed that the black haired beauty had indeed given up on her and was back to glaring at the seat in front of her. Hermione leaned back into her own seat and closed her eyes, enjoying the drive over the airfield.
Several minutes went by in relative silence only disturbed by the sounds of the turbines before they reached the runway and the pilot gave the sign ‘ready for take-off’.
Hermione loved this moment, getting pressed into her seat, feeling the g-forces.
Flying was still like a wonder to her. How engineers managed to build something so heavy that could actually fly in the air was truly amazing.
Next to her, the woman in the black corset didn’t seem to share her enthusiasm. She was now openly whimpering, almost on the verge of crying. Her eyes were wide open and the panic clear to see. She was still gripping her arm rests like her life depended on it and it seemed like she was starting to hyperventilate.
No matter how much Hermione despised the woman’s attitude, she couldn’t stand someone suffering and so against her better judgement and with an inner eye roll, she reached out and grabbed the pale hand closest to her.
Shocked by the action, the black haired head shot around and stared at her in shock. The hand however remained where it was, clasped in Hermione’s own and squeezed tightly.
Breathing through the pain of slowly loosing all the blood flow in her right hand, she managed an encouraging smile which seemed to confuse the black beauty even more. “W...what are...you...you doing?” She panted and Hermione’s heart screamed in sympathy.
“I’m helping you. You are scared of flying aren’t you?” She asked loudly over the sound of the plane taking off and leaving the ground behind.
“Ooooh...off course...ouooooo...of course not!” She screamed and Hermione had to hold back an amused laugh.
“Of course not.” She smirked and made an attempt to take back her hand, which earned her a deadly glare and another pant. "Don’t you dare!”
The plane was now high up in the sky and about to break into the cover of clouds that was so typical for the British weather at this time of the year. Unfortunately this also meant that they were about to experience some minor turbulences.
Hermione concentrated back on the woman still clutching her hand as if that would somehow safe her in case of a plane crash. “I’m Hermione Granger by the Way.”
“Hmm...mm”
“And you are?” She asked a little annoyed but the woman had her eyes closed and didn’t see her rolling her eyes.
“Bl...Black...” Hermione looked at her incredulously. Seriously? The woman dressed in a black dress, black boots and a black corset? The woman with black hair and black eyes was also named Black??? Speak about fate! She laughed into herself.
“Do you also have a first name or should I just call you Black from now on?” Black eyed shot open and the older woman glared at her. Good Hermione thought. Glaring is better than crying and whimpering.
“My name is Bellatrix. Bellatrix Black.” Hermione smiled at having successfully distracted Bellatrix for the moment.
“Hello Bellatrix, nice to meet you.” The woman in question rolled her eyes at her over politeness but seemed to relax a bit more even though the plane was softly shaking. She did not however grant her an answer, so the younger woman tried again.
“Are you flying to Italy for business or leisure?” Bellatrix eyed her warily, before jumping in her seat when they passed through another cloud.
“Not...not that it is any of your bu...a business...uhhh...but I’m going to Florence to inspect and maybe buy some paintings and other objects. I’m an art dealer and I’m working for the London art gallery to find new and unique pieces. There is a new exhibition opening tonight and I’m going to meet with the director.” The older woman frowned in confusion when Hermione’s eyes began to shine in excitement.
“You are an art dealer and also there for the exhibition?! Wow that’s perfect. I’m writing an article about it. I’m coming from ‘Hogwarts time magazine’ to report about it.” Black eyes widened in surprise.
“You’re working for Minerva McGonagall?”
“Yes...How do you know?” Hermione frowned and looked at the other woman with new interest.
“She is an old family friend. My nephew is also working for her but she has been in my life for as long as I can remember. My parents were... let’s just say not really parent material and Minerva helped me raise my two younger sisters.” She frowned before speaking again in irritation. “I don’t know why I’m telling you this...it must be the adrenaline.”
“Don’t worry, I’m not going to tell anyone.” Hermione smiled and suddenly saw her boss in a new light before realising something vital she had initially missed.
“Wait! Your nephew??? We are not talking about Draco Malfoy are we?” She must have looked desperate because suddenly Bellatrix burst out laughing, shocking Hermione even more.
“Yes, the very same.” She said proudly pushing out her chest and Hermione groaned. “And you must be the little girl always trying to beat him. Now that I’m thinking about it, I have heard about you rather a lot. You are the know it all, the golden girl Draco is always complaining about. There was a point when I thought he must have a crush on you because he just wouldn’t stop talking about you but then he came out as gay and we just had to accept his ramblings.” Bellatrix smirked and Hermione could do nothing but gape at her in shock.
“Cat got your tongue, pet.” Bellatrix had fire that was for sure and the younger woman felt her insides flutter at the unexpected pet name.
“I’m... I’m uh... I don’t know what to say... Draco is also gay?” She asked a little helplessly, only noticing her slip up when Bellatrix raised a delicate eyebrow and smirked again.
“Also? My my that’s certainly unexpected and interesting...”
“Interesting? How so?” She asked warily but Bellatrix just flicked her off with a lazy hand wave not really meeting her eyes.
“No reason, pet. It was just a new information.” Hermione was about to inquire because Bellatrix was definitely hiding something considering the smirk that was still plastering her beautiful face, when the airplane gave another big jolt and the smaller woman fell back into stiffness, keeping her eyes shut and clawing at Hermione’s hand until it hurt.
Leaning forward in her seat she used her left hand to carefully stroke Bellatrix’s forearm while keeping her right hand in the older woman’s lap. “It’s alright, Bellatrix. These are just normal turbulences because we are flying through the clouds. Once we have reached our cruising altitude you will be fine and you can relax again. I understand you have a fear of flying but I promise nothing bad will happen.” She smiled at the other woman and gestured to the window where she could already see the sky getting brighter before suddenly completely clearing up. The sun was shining through the window, blinding her and the sky was crystal clear and bright blue. Hermione turned around and grinned at Bellatrix.
“See, everything is fine. It is a beautiful day and I’m sure the weather in Italy will be much more pleasant than the drizzle in London.” Bellatrix didn’t answer but loosened her hand a little, still not letting go completely and squeezing it thankfully.
Bellatrix leaned forward, trying to get a better angle to look outside. While doing so, she automatically came closer to Hermione and she could feel the heat coming from her body. For the first time she could also smell the older woman’s perfume...roses with a hint of raspberry.
Hermione closed her eyes taking her in and had to hold herself back as to not lean forward and sniff the older woman even more. She was already way too close to her face for it to still be considered appropriate and Hermione just hoped Bellatrix had not realised this. A quick glance to her right told her she was not in luck.
“Enjoying yourself, pet?” She asked having way too much fun for someone who was supposedly living her biggest nightmare.
“Shut up, Bellatrix.” She retorted half smiling, half being embarrassed about being caught desiring her seat partner but the black beauty just laughed out loud.
“You’re too easy... So tell me why you are the one going to that art gallery and not my dear nephew and why you have arrived late to the gate?” So Hermione did.
They talked for a good hour, learning more and more about each other, never letting go of Bellatrix’s hand. Be it because the older woman still feared the flying or because it just felt so normal and they didn’t want to let go, Hermione couldn’t tell.
She didn’t question why talking to the older woman felt so easy and she also didn’t question when Bellatrix began to subtly or actually not so subtly start to flirt with her. What bothered her however was that Bellatrix had somehow discovered how to push all the right buttons that made her blush furiously and very plainly enjoyed herself while doing it.
“I heard you punched my little dragon in the face one time because he called you out for lying in your article about Albus Dumbledore.” Hermione gaped at her in disbelief.
“Called me out?!!! Ha, no he called me a lying bitch and ugly cunt! He had been making fun of me for my unruly hair or my long teeth for years and I usually just ignore his insults but on that particular occasion, I guess I just short circuited and made him shut up.” Anger cursed through her again at his insolence but she also felt a little proud. That day had definitely changed her life for the better because Draco fucking Malfoy now feared her. It still didn’t completely stop but the insults were much more harmless and he was being careful about Hermione’s moods before calling her names.
Hermione knew her cheeks were red again but she hadn’t expected Bellatrix to look at her in disbelief. “That little shit! He told Cissy and me you were the one insulting him because you couldn’t accept Draco uncovering how incompetent you were. He said you freaked out after he tried to help you get back on track. I can’t believe he lied to us like this. I will call his mother as soon I can turn my phone back on...” She grumbled some more but Hermione couldn’t understand what she was saying.
She kept quiet for the moment, silently comprehending what Bellatrix had told her and felt a lot better now that the truth had come out. She was a bit surprised Bellatrix believed her more than her own nephew but she was all the more grateful the beautiful woman was trusting her to say the truth.
Over the last hour she had learned a lot about Bellatrix, her family and her life in London. She was a very interesting person, maybe a bit eccentric and dark minded but certainly refreshing. Her view on life was very different to what Hermione was used to and she certainly didn’t hold back defending her opinion. Debating with the older woman was both exciting and fun. It let her heart beat faster and mind whirl pleasantly.
She looked back at Bellatrix smiling and caught the other woman staring at her intensely. “What?” She asked uncertainly.
“You are not ugly and definitely not a bitch. I’m sorry for what my nephew has done to you and what pain he must have inflicted. I will make sure nothing of the sort will ever happen to you again. You are a beautiful and intelligent young woman that deserves to be respected.” Hermione was absolutely flabbergasted and speechless. What was happening? How has this stiff and unfriendly woman turned into this kind and flirty being? What was the real Bellatrix and why was she blushing again??? So many questions and not enough time to solve the mystery that was Bellatrix Black.
“You...You find me beautiful?” Was all she could stutter out and gulped eloquently. Bellatrix laughed before catching herself and leaning in close to her ear.
“I find you more than beautiful, pet but I’m not sure we should continue with this conversation or I fear you might explode...and not in a good way.” She winked at her suggestively and Hermione wasn’t sure she had understood the other woman correctly. Was she seriously implying what she thought she heard???
Bellatrix’s face certainly spoke for itself and the brunette felt her lower abdomen flutter pleasantly. She tried to suppress a shudder but seemed to have failed when she noticed Bellatrix’s eyes drop to her lips.
Hermione’s breath hitched and all she was able to think about was Bellatrix’s mouth that was slowly getting closer and closer as in slow motion. But before anything could happen, a high pitched voice burst their little bubble and interrupted whatever had been happening before. Bellatrix’s head shot around angrily, while Hermione could only look up at the flight attendant dazily.
“Anything to drink? Water, tea, coffee or softdrinks?” The blond woman asked in a bored voice.
“No, thank you.” Bellatrix pressed out through tight lips and Hermione burst out laughing which earned her a glare from the woman herself.
“And you, dearie?” Hermione had trouble breaking away from Bellatrix’s eyes that were holding her captive, which already seemed to heighten the black beauty’s mood considerably and she smirked in satisfaction.
“Uh sorry, just some sparling water please.” She answered automatically.
She was glad for the liquid cooling her down a bit and moisten her dry throat. The black haired woman looked at her, knowing exactly what she was doing.
Hermione had to take a deep breath. This was totally fine. Yes they were flirting but this was not a date. Yes it looked like they were about to kiss earlier but this was not a date and she was fine. Totally fine. They were still holding hands and it was fine. It was just because Bellatrix was scared. Okay maybe it was not like that anymore. Ok they were holding hands, but this was not a date and everything was fine. No reason for her to panic at all. What did it matter if she kissed her rivals aunt on an airplane more than 10km up in the sky. Nobody would be any the wiser...nobody needed to know...It didn’t mean anything that Bellatrix was watching her like she was desirable and worth fighting for... because she was just someone she met on a random plane by accident...except maybe...Hermione wanted it to mean something.
The older woman looked at her in understanding and Hermione had the feeling they had spent years together getting to know each other and not a mere hour.
Bellatrix squeezed her hand and looked at her in sympathy. “I know what you are thinking, pet. You are doubting your own self worth again. I’ve seen you earlier when you spoke about Draco doing the same and I promise you, you are worth it. You are beautiful and intelligent, you are kind and honest. You try to hide your insecurities but you are carrying your heart like an open book. I understand that you are doubting whatever was happening between us earlier but I promise you I am not trying to use you. I didn’t come here to look for fun. I know I can be a bitch and I realise how unfriendly I was earlier. But you somehow broke through my shell and made me forget about all my worries. I’m grateful for your help and kindness but I don’t want to waste your time any longer if you don’t want me to. We can spent the rest of the flight just talking like friends and going our separate ways once we land in Italy or...”
“Or?” Hermione asked hopefully and Bellatrix smiled.
“-Or we can keep holding hands like two idiot in love and I would ask you to go on a proper date with me... It’s your decision and I won’t hold anything against you.” She kept looking at her with black eyes and Hermione could see the truth sparkling in them.
Whatever was happening was not one sides or only in her head. It was real and happening right now. For the first time in years, Hermione felt pure joy streaming through her veins. A purpose, a new hope. She also knew Bellatrix had the power to crush her if this went wrong somehow but sometimes you simply had to take a risk and do something that frightens you before you could find your happiness.
Hermione leaned forward and kissed a surprised Bellatrix on the cheek before laughing again. “Of course I will go out with you, Bellatrix. I don’t know what is happening either but I enjoy your company, even though you’re making me blush all the time and I would love to get to know you outside of this aircraft as well.”
Bellatrix beamed at her and before Hermione could think twice she was leaning forward and kissed her on the lips. It was a short kiss but no less intense.
When they separated, Hermione was shocked about her own boldness. She was about to apologise to Bellatrix when she saw dark and hungry eyes practically devouring her. Before she could move a muscle, the older woman was already leaning back in and kissing her again.
This kiss was better than anything Hermione had ever experienced before. Bellatrix tasted sweet, somehow like mint and honey and her lips were soft and warm. They were kissing slowly and languidly. Bellatrix was setting the pace and softly nipped at her lip before biting and causing Hermione to moan.
Hermione could have stayed like this forever. Kissing Bellatrix was heaven and she had to focus very hard as to not get carried away and loose control over her libido.
A throat was cleared awkwardly, the noise coming from the aisle and Hermione opened her eyes in shock. Immediately separating from Bellatrix, who didn’t seem to mind the audience but definitely the interruption.
“Uhm...I don’t know how to say this but there have been a few complaints about inappropriate behaviour and sounds in this row and I’m sorry but this is still a public flight. I need you to stop and turn back to your own seats or you will have to change seats and sit separately. We are about to start our landing approach any minute now.” The flight attendant was looking at them, not apologetic at all but rather annoyed at having to deal with such outrageous behaviour.
Hermione wanted the ground to swallow her whole and she tried to duck behind Bellatrix in an attempt to hide her red face in shame. The older woman however didn’t seem to be phased at all. If anything she appeared more proud and cocky than before, grinning up at the stewardess. “Sure, we can try to hold back for a little longer, although it’s very hard to resist such a beautiful face and not give in to the temptation, wouldn’t you agree, pet?” The black beauty looked down at her, enjoying Hermione’s discomfort very much.
Not giving into the bait, the Hermione sat back more properly and sucked in a deep breath trying to calm down. Her lips were still tingling from the kiss? How could someone have such power over her after not even two hours together? But there was no doubt, Bellatrix had somehow crawled under her skin and made herself a home in her heart with no sign of moving out again anytime soon. Hermione had definitely never acted this reckless and thoughtlessly before. It was certainly new and very exciting.
When Hermione looked back up, she noticed the flight attendant was gone and Bellatrix was watching her calmly. “Don’t worry. I know this is new for you too. We can take it slowly if you want.” Hermione burst out laughing at the ridiculousness of that statement. “You are impossible, Bellatrix Black. You know as well as I do that there is nothing slow about what is going on between us. I never kissed anyone in public like this before and I never thought I would...”
“So you aren’t regretting the kiss?” She asked carefully.
“No, you impossible woman. I regret nothing.” Seemingly satisfied with her answer, Bellatrix leaned back into her seat, eyes closed and with a huge grin on her face. Hermione laughed again and snuggled into her shoulder, still holding hands.
The rest of the flight passed by in silence. When the plane began to descent, Hermione could feel Bellatrix tense up again and she knew it was because she was scared. Bellatrix was clenching her hand and the younger woman felt her shoulder stiffen under her head.
Luckily there were no clouds here in Florence, so it was just the normal landing that scared Bellatrix this time and no additional turbulences. Hermione did her best by letting her squeeze her hand and rub her forearm. Just before they hit the ground and the pressure on Bellatrix seemed the worst, the young woman turned to the side and kissed Bellatrix’s shoulder, which seemed to have the desired effect and distracted her quite a bit.
None of them moved even when they reached their parking position, the engine stopped and the chaos around them erupted and everyone jumped up to get their bags and be the first to leave the aircraft.
Bellatrix was the first to come back to reality in pressing a kiss onto Hermione’s forehead. “Thank you, Hermione.” Surprised by the use of her name, she looked up and saw the sincerity and gratefulness reflected in dark eyes.
“You’re welcome, Bellatrix.” She answered, still not fully believing this wasn’t just a dream and she had actually met this beautiful woman.
They slowly gathered their belongings, not in a rush to say goodbye to each other just yet and to prolong their time together.
Hermione’s huge and totally over packed bag pack was so different to Bellatrix’s elegant black carry on that she could simply roll next to her, that she burst out laughing. They were both so different but somehow that didn’t bother Hermione at all. By the amused smile and the hand that reached out for her, the older woman felt the same and Hermione was happy. For the first time in forever she was truly happy and looking forward to her time in Florence.
Having no checked in luggage, they went right through the passport control together and slowly walked to the taxi stand still hand in hand.
Before Hermione could say anything, Bellatrix held up her hand and called for the first car available. They would be going their separate ways from this point on because their hotels were so far apart and it was much faster and easier for both women to get their own taxis.
The surprisingly friendly driver stepped out of the drivers seat and greeted them both in Italian. Hermione hadn’t known Bellatrix spoke fluent Italian, so she looked up surprised when the older woman opened her mouth and gave the driver Hermione’s hotel address.
“You speak Italian?”
“Of course I do, pet.” She grinned and winked at the Hermione before continuing. “Now, I don’t want to let you go, but it’s late and we both need to get ready for the exhibition later. I will meet you at the entrance and we can explore the gallery together if you’d like?” Bellatrix asked a bit shyly not knowing if she was overstepping or imposing but she needn’t have to worry because Hermione was all but annoyed by the offer. She leaned in and gave the black haired woman a soft kiss.
“I will be happy to see you later, Bellatrix. Get some rest and I will meet you at the entrance.” They smiled at each other before Hermione finally stepped into the back seat of the taxi. The last thing she heard and saw, was Bellatrix turning around, pulling out her phone and saying “Cissy? We need to talk...”