January
"I have to kill Edward Tonks, I'll hit Molly Prewett with a month-lasting vomiting hex and I'll fricking have to Obliviate Andy!"
Bellatrix fired off the list of threats the second the door of Hermione's study closed behind her and the Quieting charm on it activated to give her privacy. Hermione, seated on her bed with a potions tome, raised her eyes in time to watch Bellatrix seat herself onto the chair by Hermione's desk.
"You are aware of the wards around here, right?"
The sardonic reminder earned Hermione a half-amused, half-derisive snort, followed by Bellatrix pushing an obviously exaggerated amount of vexation into her voice.
"Do I suddenly look that dumb, Hermione?!? I'm just venting a bit. But I could sure use your help with this fucked up shit!"
The combination of profanities and Bellatrix asking for help certainly got Hermione's attention.
"Okay, what happened?"
It took Bellatrix a few breaths to get her emotions into a semblance of control.
"The mudblood almost walked into me and he reeked of Andy's perfume! The idiot must've been crawling all over him! I still can't believe she could do this to us, we should have never let her go to Hogsmeade with those treacherous Muggle-sympathizers!"
Hermione's reply definitely bore traces of disbelief.
"And you think I can help?!?"
"You're not dumb either, no need for such games. You're Andy's friend, you've actually warned me this might happen, we're the two smartest witches of our age, you might be a bit too open-minded but still not a mudblood-friendly blood traitor like Molly Prevett. I'll turn her knickers into fire ants and *then* start getting creative, I *know* she's the type to encourage such stupidity!"
Three, four, five... Hermione's face became one of an iron-willed Slytherin who's trying to appear as eager to help a friend as she could get away with without appearing too opportunistic. There was no hint visible of her being secretly grateful for Molly's help in making Andy find the courage to be happy.
"I see... But I'm not sure you're ready to pay the price my help would ask of you. Not because I would ask for some payment - simply because I would have to make you face reality."
This earned Hermione another snort, this one full of bitter mirth.
"Andy's debasing herself with a mudblood and we have to hope nobody's noticed, at least nobody besides her idiotic mud-loving friends, you think I'm not aware of what it means?"
"Not to the extent I am, Bellatrix, because you're too involved to think clearly and you're not privy to a few things I know."
"Fine, enlighten me."
Hermione sighed, thinking hard about what she could say to balance out all her competing goals and leanings. And not break her cover too much, of course.
"From what you're telling me, the damage is done. There's no going back. Yes, I can think of several methods you could try. Most could send you into Azkaban. The one I'd guess you'd see most viable is almost certain to fail. Catastrophically, in fact. However, telling you why means sharing a secret, one of strategic value outside your problem with Andy. Mind telling me your tentative plan for now?"
It wasn't really scary anymore, the way Bellatrix could switch from seething into seemingly near-emotionless. It was simply one of the ways most noble-born pure-bloods were damaged.
"Obliviate them both and their friends too, somewhere it won't trigger the wards that are here, and keep a closer eye on them in the future. Convince Andy to not be an idiot and think with her brain instead of whatever she's been thinking with, I love her but I can't let her ruin her life like this."
"Thought so. Now, I'm not going to name any price for the information I'm offering, especially given I do care for Andy. But we both know you'll remember my words today. And we both know you'd have to have a damn good reason to not honor the obligation you'll feel. Because I'm about to save you from Andy hating you forever should you try that plan. Ready?"
There was no hesitation, as if Bellatrix was willing to accept almost any debt to help Andy.
"I accept. Is it really that bad?"
"Depends on your viewpoint. You see, I took various steps to protect myself from Obliviation, courtesy of having met a wizard too eager to abuse it in the past. One such technique involves copying important memories using a modified Pensieve charm and periodically re-inserting such memories if they're missing, even if the memory of this mechanism existing gets Obliviated too. It is-"
Bellatrix interrupted her.
"And you've shared this with Andy, haven't you?!?"
"Yes, and I'm pretty sure she would want to secure memories of what we're talking about."
Hermione saw Bellatrix fight her impulses to lash out in anger. It took long seconds and the anger never really went away, it merely got reined in. But that would have to suffice.
"I do want to scream at you, Hermione. But I'm a Black and I will not forget my upbringing. I do see the reality. Not only I never believed Andy might do this, you were the one who helped me see the danger and prepare for it, at least as much as one can prepare for such a failure. This other thing you did made my sister better protected, on a level I never got around to exploring. I will not blame you for it making my life more difficult now when I didn't really believe Andy would do something like this myself. But I do have to ask – is there a chance the setup has a backdoor you would share with me?"
The whole situation tore at some parts of Hermione's soul. Bellatrix, the younger duplicate of the murderous torturer from another timeline who killed Andy's daughter, was desperately trying to protect her sister even when Andy's actions went against pure-blood ideals. Hermione could not agree with many of her goals but she definitely felt Bella's desire to help a 'misguided' sister. And she could never forget Bellatrix was doing it despite feeling so tortured by the prospect of having to marry Rodolphus that carving bleeding insults into her own skin with a dagger seemed like help.
"I did my best to make it resistant even to a Legilimens reading the details from my mind, Bellatrix, because I could never be sure my Occlumency would be good enough in such a situation. I'm not saying the technique is foolproof but I've never heard of a better one. It has a backup some details of which you Obliviate from your own memory, so even using Legilimency on Andy wouldn't tell you what to go after because she doesn't know it herself anymore. And I'd have to be stupid to lie to you now, given the likelihood of Andy sharing the technique with you now you know it exists. However, there's more to the reality you're facing now than fully Obliviating Andy being near-impossible and very risky."
Hermione saw the slightest hint of dropping shoulders and then Bellatrix straightened again, tapping still more reserves of self-control.
"Get it over with, then."
"Like I told you, the damage is done. Even if this becomes just a fling, or if you do manage to Obliviate her, you will always know that Andy does not really believe in blood purity ideals to the extent you do. She is still your sister, she still loves you, but she will never fight for the cause the way you are still willing to. We are back to you having to choose between untarnished ideology and your flesh-and-blood sister."
Bella's voice turned more intense and accusatory.
"Why do you sound like you've already made your choice in this matter?!?"
There was no way of avoiding either giving an answer or sounding totally fake. So Hermione did the best she could, told the truth but not all of it, her voice calm and a bit resigned.
"Because I have. If a Noble pure-blood like you can turn her back on her own sister who still loves her and is grateful to her, you should understand outsiders like me have no chance of finding reliable friends or allies among those governed just by purist ideals. Everybody has some flaws, I'll let you know I've noticed you steal glances at Muggle-born witches should you try to claim you don't. So if you really do want to cling to purist expectations no real people fulfill, I'd never know when you might decide to throw me under the bus for some failing of mine. Andy has some flaws too but she's willing to overlook my own flaws in return. She's willing to do whatever it takes in the Rodolphus situation. I'd rather help her than you in this."
Something broke in Bellatrix and her voice rose close to an anguished shout.
"You'd help her get herself Imperiused or killed! She's always been crazy, you have no idea how many times she risked Father's wrath saving me from my own fuckups, but this is a hundred times worse! I want her safe and happy and not getting herself murdered!"
Hermione's legs surprised her own conscious mind when she found herself closing the distance to the young Bellatrix she's known for months and then she was hugging her before her brain could recall the older Bellatrix from her old timeline and all that came with those memories.
"So help me keep her safe and alive! I'm just me but you're Bellatrix Black! Would you really rather hurt Andy than deal with the people who'd want to hurt her?"
"No."
****
"Are you serious, Bella? A love potion antidote?"
Andy's indignant reaction almost made Bella roll her eyes.
"Of course I want to see you drink one you've seen me make. I'll know it works and you'll know I'm not making you drink anything that might endanger this stupid infatuation of yours."
A part of Bella's mind knew she shouldn't be calling the… thing… a stupid infatuation if she wanted Andy to talk to her. Other parts of her brain wanted to use much stronger language.
"You think anyone might have been able to slip me a love potion, despite all our training and protections?"
And it was back to wanting to roll her eyes.
"Are you even listening to yourself, Andy? How would you know you're your real self, especially if somebody used some novel recipe?"
"And is it really so impossible to believe he's better than you give him credit for?"
Two, three calming breaths. Bella knew she would likely need a lot more during the whole discussion but it was enough for a reply.
"It doesn't matter how good he is, whatever definition of good you might wish to use. This antidote is just a basic safety precaution but it won't change much. He's Muggleborn, that alone would make Father want to kill him and disown you, or worse. "
Andy, as expected, wasn't trying to calm herself down.
"I don't care about Father or getting disowned, the only reason I'm hiding our love is you and Cissy. Why can't you be like Hermione and just chew me out for not being careful enough, she even said she wants me to be happy! Are you really so angry about getting promised to Rodolphus you're jealous of our happiness?"
It stung, being seen as worse than Hermione, and it reminded her how stupidly tolerant Hermione sometimes was when it came to Andy, but Bella had to focus.
"You wouldn't be happy, you'd be despised or pitied by most and even if Father wouldn't try to get either of you killed, he'd certainly make your life hell."
That last sentence made Andy pause for a few heartbeats and then she did the unexpected and hugged Bella.
"My life would be hell already if it wasn't for you, Bella, all thanks to Father, and he's perfectly willing to make your life hell too. We'll try to be super stealthy, I promise, just give us time to figure out what to do once we've graduated? You could even run away from Rodolphus and join us, if you'd like? Cissy would be safe with Lucius and we'd be free?!?"
The temptation was almost unbearable. To live in France, more or less outside her Father's reach thanks to her inquiries, in a place where she might actually find a witch to love… Maybe convince Hermione to move too, she's already been willing to move across half the globe when she went to Hogwarts, so France certainly wasn't out of the question for her, not to mention they both spoke some French already…
Yes, Bella would honor her Duties. But the temptation to not do so was growing ever stronger.
***
"I know we must not stop, Albus, but every death like this hurts. I never managed to become numb to these losses and knowing he died because we weren't smart enough makes it hurt even more."
Hermione was sunk deeply into one of Dumbledore's couches, a healing potion in one hand and a cup of honeyed tea in the other, her knees tucked under her chin. Dumbledore, seated behind his Headmaster's desk but noticeably more slumped than usual, nursed a mug of hot apple juice with spices. His voice was even more tired than Hermione's and he winced every time his left shoulder moved.
"And he was a house elf, so many wizards would never express gratitude for his sacrifice, should they ever learn of it. We still suffer for the sins of our ancestors, Hermione, and I'm afraid even our student's children will do so."
"Remind me to tell you about S.P.E.W. one day, Albus. But we managed to destroy a Horcrux and leave no trace of having done so. I have to keep telling myself why the Order wages this shadow war and I have to keep convincing myself to not despise everyday wizards and witches who go through their lives blind to the threats looming above them and not helping… but we have to fight with what we've got and I refuse to let Riddle's side win. I too feel bad for having let him help us, because I always question how much of a free will a house elf has, but he knew what he was getting into. Best we can do is remember him."
"That we will do, Hermione. But we've all been burdened by our ancestors, with no good way out of this mess. All the dark wizards and witches who turned house elves into what they are today are dead for centuries, as are all the original free-born elves. None of the wizards today are guilty of making the elves eager to serve, it is natural for most of today's elves to oppose being liberated, so we're stuck in a loop of slavery that could only be broken by changing the elves' nature against their will. Even once we get rid of Riddle and his followers, the wizarding world will remain a blend of darkness and light. I might be long dead before Tobby gets the recognition he deserves."
The only thing Hermione's exhausted brain was capable of was to raise the vial with her potion.
"So here's to Tobby, and to at least one of us surviving this war, so the world can learn of his sacrifice."