Salvation

Bellatrix looked surprised.

"You probably didn't expect me to say yes, did you?" remarked Hermione with a grin.

Hermione grinned to herself. She took one last drag of her cigarette and then extinguished it.

"Aberforth, another shot for me and my new boss, we have to toast to this," ordered Bellatrix.

"Hermione, before we toast, I need to explain my house rules to you," Bellatrix explained.

"Oh, with you, there's no fun," Hermione replied, slightly amused.

"Listen to me," said Bellatrix, annoyed. "In this house, we deal with serious and dark curses. Once you start drinking alcohol, you're not allowed to perform magic anymore. I don't care if or how much you drink, it's your life, but I won't allow you to endanger my family's lives just because you have a problem. If I catch you once, casting any spell under the influence, I'll throw you out of the house. Understood!"

Hermione was surprised. The dark-haired witch didn't seem as relaxed as she had thought.

"Okay, I'll reconsider. I'll come by the Malfoy Manor tomorrow and share my decision with you," said Hermione as she turned her back to Bellatrix to end the conversation.

"Oh, and one more thing. I offer you a room at Malfoy Manor. It would be easier for you to come to work every day. At Black Manor unfortunately, only pure-blooded witches and wizards can come and go unscathed. That's one of the first things we need to change," added Bellatrix.

Hermione nodded. She was done with the conversation and just wanted to be left alone.

"Then until tomorrow," Bellatrix bid farewell.

---

Hermione's POV:

I don't know what to do now, thought Hermione.

"Aberforth, another drink, please," she requested.

If I accept the offer now, then I must abide by these rules. Who does she think she is? Telling me I can't do magic under the influence. I'm of legal age and can do what I want.

How she protects her family was full of passion and impressive. I wish someone would try to protect me like that. Her eyes were full of fire and love when she talked about her family; they looked so beautiful in that light. Ah, screw it, I have nothing better to do in my worthless life anyway, with this project, at least I can do something good for society.

What time is it anyway? It's already 2:00 in the morning. Well, I guess it's time to go home. I'll have to get up somewhat early tomorrow.

"Goodbye, Aberforth, until next time," Hermione said as she bid farewell.

---

Narrators POV

The next day, Hermione made her way to the Malfoy Manor. She had sent an owl ahead to announce her arrival. In her bag, she carried the essentials to stay there for a while.

Draco was standing at the gate now.

"Hermione, nice to see you've come," he greeted her.

Hermione just looked at him and gave him a small smile. As they entered, Hermione was curious.

"Draco, who lives here?" she asked.

"We're three in this house: my mother, Aunt Bellatrix, and I," Draco replied.

"Where's Lucius? I haven't heard from your father in a while," Hermione inquired further.

"Yeah, that's because he's hiding. He still has to face trial, and he knows he'll end up in Azkaban. That's why he's on the run. I last saw him six months ago," Draco explained.

"Right, I remember reading about that," Hermione recalled.

The two entered the building in silence. Narcissa was sitting in a chair with a teacup in her hand.

"Welcome, Hermione. I'm glad you agreed to help Bellatrix make this dreadful house habitable. You can give your luggage to Draco; he'll put it in your new room," greeted Narcissa.

"Thank you," Hermione replied as she handed her luggage to Draco. Until Hermione asked:

"Where's Bellatrix, so we can get started right away?"

"She'll be here soon. She was still in her room when I last saw her. But I've sent our house-elf to fetch her. Have you had breakfast yet?" Narcissa inquired.

"Yes, I have," Hermione replied, even though she hadn't eaten anything. She wasn't hungry and lied to Narcissa.

In that moment, Bellatrix came down the stairs.

"Hello, Hermione, are we ready to get started?" she asked.

"Yup," confirmed Hermione.

"Good, Narcissa, we won't be back until evening," said Bellatrix.

"Oh, not until late. Well, alright, but please make sure to come back in time for dinner," Narcissa requested.

"Yes, we will," promised Bellatrix.

Hermione and Bellatrix made their way to the Black Manor. From the outside, it looked even more imposing than the Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix told Hermione that these buildings were some of the oldest remaining manors in the UK.

The first major challenge was the gate. Only pure-blood witches were allowed to enter. To fix this, they not only had to lift the protective spell but also manipulate the runes of the house to grant entry to everyone.

Hermione immediately got to work. At first, it was difficult for her. She hadn't wanted to solve such a complex problem in a long time, but with time, she really blossomed. From the outside, you could see Hermione's focused face, and occasionally, you could hear her muttering something to herself.

Bellatrix briefly stopped to watch Hermione at her work. She seemed carefree and happy. Hermione finally felt useful and capable again. She felt like she had a goal in mind.

Time passed quickly, and evening was drawing near. The two had made great progress with the gate and hoped to finish tomorrow.

"Come on, Hermione, let's call it a day. Narcissa won't give us anything to eat if we're late," suggested Bellatrix.

Hermione just nodded and followed her back to the Malfoy Manor. Bellatrix wondered what was going on in the young witch's mind.